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Walters Ms. W.164, Prayer Book, including Office of the Dead

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Shelf mark

W.164


Manuscript

Prayer Book, including Office of the Dead


Text title
Prayer Book

Abstract

This prayer book was produced ca. 1430-40, likely in Brabant, but the contents of the calendar point to Tournai and Cambrai, and the Office of the Dead is for the use of Liège. North Netherlandish influence, possibly connected with works by the Masters of the Gold Scrolls, is suggested by the style and iconography of its images. The manuscript is notable for its large number of miniatures--forty-eight in total--as well as the sense of narrative within them, and the diversity of the suffrages they illustrate is striking. That the original owner had a strong interest in the Passion is evident in both the choice of texts and the images. The manuscript was well used, and accrued not only additional prayers and suffrages, but devotional objects as well: a pilgrim's badge was once attached to the corner of the image for the suffrage to relics on fol. 160r.


Date

Ca. 1430-1440 CE


Origin

Brabant (?)


Form

Book


Genre

Devotional


Language:

The primary language in this manuscript is Latin. The secondary language of this manuscript is French, Middle (ca.1400-1600).


Support material

Parchment

Thin to medium-weight, well-prepared parchment; flyleaves are modern parchment; Randall notes that all pages appear to have been dampened and heavily pressed at time of rebinding


Extent

Foliation: iii+184 (+62bis, +178bis)+ ii

Two pages were not foliated, so there are two more pages than the foliation shows, which are indicated by the term "bis"; traces of earlier pencil foliation that accounted for two now-missing folios at beginning, now erased and occasionally visible above modern pencil foliation on upper right corners, rectos


Collation

Formula: Quire 1: 8, with first and second folios cancelled (fols. 1-6); Quires 2-9: 8 (fols. 7-69); Quire 10: 4 (fols. 70-73); Quires 11-20: 8 (fols. 74-153); Quire 21: 8, with the first and eighth folios original within quire, and the second through seventh folios misbound within them, originally part of quire 23 (fols. 154-161); Quire 22: 8 (fols. 162-169); Quire 23: 8, with the first and eighth folios original within quire, and the second through seventh folios misbound within them, originally part of quire 21 (fols. 170-177); Quire 24: 8, with fourth and fifth folios, which should be central bifolio, repositioned as the second and seventh folios (fols. 178-184)

Signatures: Trace of one extant, fol. 141r: "q IIII"

Comments: Last few quires badly misbound; correct order as worked out by Randall is as follows: fols. 154, 171-176, 161 (in quire 21); fols. 170, 155-160, 177 (in quire 23); fols. 178, 179, 180, 178bis, 183, 181, 182, 184 (in quire 24)


Dimensions

10.2 cm wide by 13.8 cm high


Written surface

5.2 cm wide by 8.1 cm high


Layout
  1. Columns: 1
  2. Ruled lines: 13
  3. Layout does not apply to calendar: 5.8 x 7.9 cm, 4 columns of 17 lines

Contents:
fols. 1r - 184r:
  1. Title: Prayer Book
  2. Hand note: Written in textura, hand of calendar different from main text; several different hands apparent in text and images; many corrections made by ex-delineation in red (e.g. fols. 79r-80r, 108v, 112r); early added prayer (fols. 13v-14v) written by slightly later hand in littera batarda
  3. Decoration note: Five full-page miniatures; forty-three, three-quarter page miniatures (10-11 lines); light floral borders around images; five large flourished initials, four opposite full-page miniatures (4 lines); smaller flourished initials at secondary text divisions (2-3 lines); "KL" in calendar in alternating red and blue with ink flourishes (2 lines); small painted initials in red and blue for versals and suffrage antiphons; rubrics in red; text in black and dark brown ink
fols. 1r - 12v:
  1. Title: Calendar
  2. Rubric: Janvier. a xxxi. iour la lune. xxx.
  3. Contents: Calendar in French, half full, graded in red and dark brown ink; abbreviations for Egyptian days and major feasts in red; number of hours in day/night given on last line of each month; contents suggest dioceses of Tournai and Cambrai, as well as interest in Franciscan order; feasts of note are: Purification of the Virgin (Feb. 2), Blasius (Feb. 3), Pancratius (Feb. 18), Eleutherius (Feb. 20), "cierge" (Feb. 28), Albinus (Mar. 1), Adrian (Mar. 4), Gertrude (Mar. 17), Albanus (Mar. 19), Romanus (Mar. 30), Valeric (Apr. 1), Bertin (May 2 and Sept. 5), Paul martyr (May 17), Petronilla (May 31), Anthony of Padua (June 13), Modestus (June 16), Martinianus (June 18), Rumold (July 1), Thomas Apostle (July 3, and translation Dec. 21), Daniel (July 8), Heraclius (bishop of Sens, July 13), Stephen (Aug. 3), Clare (Aug. 12), Louis of Toulouse (Aug. 18), Remacle (bishop of Maestricht, Sept. 3), Audomar (Sept. 9), Hyacinth (Sept. 13), Francis (Oct. 4), Dionysius and Ghislain (Oct. 9), All Souls (Nov. 2), Maclovius (Nov. 15), Elizabeth of Hungary (Nov. 19), Nicasius (Dec. 14), Thomas Becket (Dec. 29)
fols. 13v - 14v:
  1. Title: Added French prayer to God the Father
  2. Incipit: [D]oulz dieux ihesucrist pere tos puissans Rois des rois Sire aussi vrayement
  3. Contents: Prayer in French, added early to originally blank leaves; asks for strength to resist the Seven Deadly Sins
  4. Hand note: Written in littera batarda by slightly later hand
fols. 15v - 71r:
  1. Title: Hours of the Passion
  2. Incipit: Domine labia mea
  3. Decoration note: Full-page miniature fol. 15v; three-quarter-page miniatures fols. 26r, 33v, 38r, 45r, 52r, 60r, and 65r
fols. 74v - 136v:
  1. Title: Office of the Dead
  2. Rubric: Antiphona. psalmus
  3. Incipit: Placebo. Dilexi quoniam
  4. Contents: Use of Liège
  5. Decoration note: Full-page miniature fol. 74v
fols. 138v - 141r:
  1. Title: Passion sequence of St. John and collect
  2. Rubric: Passio domini nostri ihesu christi Secundum iohannem
  3. Incipit: In illo tempore
  4. Contents: Opening text badly abraded; fol. 140v: collect
  5. Decoration note: Full-page miniature fol. 138v
fols. 141v - 181r:
  1. Title: Suffrages
  2. Rubric: De saint george antiphon (fol. 141r)
  3. Incipit: Qui michi ministrat me sequatur
  4. Contents: Thirty-nine suffrages, including five feasts, four female and twenty-eight male saints; rubrics on pages preceding incipits; miniatures introduce each suffrage; last three quires misbound, reconstructed below; suffrages to: George, the Ascension, Pentecost, the Trinity, the True Cross, the Archangel Michael, John the Baptist, Peter and Paul, Andrew, John the Evangelist, James the Greater, Several apostles, Stephen, Dionysius, Lawrence, Nicasius, Vincent, Clement, Thomas Becket, several martyrs, Martin of Tours, Nicholas, Francis, Louis of France, Several confessors, Mary Magdalene, Catherine, Margaret, Anne, Several virgins, Maurus, the Feast of the Relics, All Saints, Peace, Lupus, Desiderius, Aegydius, and Julian the Hospitaler
  5. Text note: Text misbound; correct sequence of last three quires is as follows (according to Randall's reconstruction): fols. 154, 171-176, 161, 170, 155-160, 177, 178, 179, 180, 178bis, 183, 181, 182, 184
  6. Decoration note: Miniatures on fols. 141v, 142v, 143v, 144v, 145v, 147r, 148r, 149r, 150r, 151r, 152r, 153r, 154r, 155v, 156v, 158r, 159r, 160r, 161r, 162r, 163v, 164v, 165v, 166v, 167v, 168v, 170r, 171r, 172v, 173v, 175r, 176r, 177r, 178r, 178bis v, 179r, 180r (and originally 183v: misbound, belongs between fols. 180 and 181)
fols. 181v - 184r:
  1. Title: Added suffrages to SS. Anthony and Barbara
  2. Rubric: De saint Anthoine
  3. Incipit: Ora pro nobis beate anthoni
  4. Contents: Suffrages to SS. Anthony and Barbara, added early; fol. 183 is misbound, belongs with text for St. Julian the Hospitaler between fols. 180 and 181
  5. Decoration note: Miniature on fol. 183 (misbound: belongs between fols. 180 and 181)

Decoration:

fol. 15v:

  1. W.164, fol. 15v
  2. Title: Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane
  3. Form: Full-page miniature
  4. Text: Hours of the Passion: Matins

fol. 26r:

  1. W.164, fol. 26r
  2. Title: Christ's Arrest
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Hours of the Passion: Lauds

fol. 33v:

  1. W.164, fol. 33v
  2. Title: Christ brought before Pilate
  3. Form: Full-page miniature
  4. Text: Hours of the Passion: Prime

fol. 38r:

  1. W.164, fol. 38r
  2. Title: Flagellation
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Hours of the Passion: Terce

fol. 45r:

  1. W.164, fol. 45r
  2. Title: Christ carries the Cross
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Hours of the Passion: Sext

fol. 52r:

  1. W.164, fol. 52r
  2. Title: Crucifixion
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Hours of the Passion:None

fol. 60r:

  1. W.164, fol. 60r
  2. Title: Deposition
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Hours of the Passion: Vespers

fol. 65r:

  1. W.164, fol. 65r
  2. Title: Entombment
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Hours of the Passion: Compline

fol. 74v:

  1. W.164, fol. 74v
  2. Title: Funeral service
  3. Form: Full-page miniature
  4. Text: Office of the Dead

fol. 138v:

  1. W.164, fol. 138v
  2. Title: St. John on Patmos with devil knocking over inkwell
  3. Form: Full-page miniature
  4. Text: Passion sequence of St. John

fol. 141v:

  1. W.164, fol. 141v
  2. Title: St. George and the Dragon
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. George

fol. 142v:

  1. W.164, fol. 142v
  2. Title: Ascension
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to the Ascension

fol. 143v:

  1. W.164, fol. 143v
  2. Title: Pentecost
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to the Pentecost

fol. 144v:

  1. W.164, fol. 144v
  2. Title: Trinity with Throne of Grace
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to the Trinity

fol. 145v:

  1. W.164, fol. 145v
  2. Title: St. Helen
  3. Form: Full-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Helen

fol. 147r:

  1. W.164, fol. 147r
  2. Title: St. Michael defeats a devil
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Michael

fol. 148r:

  1. W.164, fol. 148r
  2. Title: St. John Baptist
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. John Baptist

fol. 149r:

  1. W.164, fol. 149r
  2. Title: SS. Peter and Paul
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to SS. Peter and Paul

fol. 150r:

  1. W.164, fol. 150r
  2. Title: St. Andrew
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Andrew

fol. 151r:

  1. W.164, fol. 151r
  2. Title: St. John Evangelist
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. John Evangelist

fol. 152r:

  1. W.164, fol. 152r
  2. Title: St. James the Greater
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. James the Greater

fol. 153r:

  1. W.164, fol. 153r
  2. Title: Two Apostle Saints
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to apostle saints

fol. 154r:

  1. W.164, fol. 154r
  2. Title: St. Stephen
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Stephen

fol. 155v:

  1. W.164, fol. 155v
  2. Title: St. Margaret and the dragon
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Margaret

fol. 156v:

  1. W.164, fol. 156v
  2. Title: St. Anne with Virgin and Child on lap
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Anne

fol. 158r:

  1. W.164, fol. 158r
  2. Title: Two Virgin Saints
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to virgin saints

fol. 159r:

  1. W.164, fol. 159r
  2. Title: St. Maurus
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Maurus

fol. 160r:

  1. W.164, fol. 160r
  2. Title: Feast of relics
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to the feast of relics
  5. Comment:

    Evidence of pilgrim's badge at top right of image

fol. 161r:

  1. W.164, fol. 161r
  2. Title: Martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Thomas Becket

fol. 162r:

  1. W.164, fol. 162r
  2. Title: Four Martyr Saints
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to Martyr Saints

fol. 163v:

  1. W.164, fol. 163v
  2. Title: St. Martin shares cloak with beggar
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Martin

fol. 164v:

  1. W.164, fol. 164v
  2. Title: St. Nicholas saves the three youths
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Nicholas

fol. 165v:

  1. W.164, fol. 165v
  2. Title: St. Francis
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Francis

fol. 166v:

  1. W.164, fol. 166v
  2. Title: St. Louis of France
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Louis of France

fol. 167v:

  1. W.164, fol. 167v
  2. Title: Two confessor saints
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to confessor saints

fol. 168v:

  1. W.164, fol. 168v
  2. Title: St. Mary Magdalene
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Mary Magdalene

fol. 170r:

  1. W.164, fol. 170r
  2. Title: St. Catherine of Alexandria
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Catherine of Alexandria

fol. 171r:

  1. W.164, fol. 171r
  2. Title: Martyrdom of St. Dionysius
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Dionysius

fol. 172v:

  1. W.164, fol. 172v
  2. Title: St. Lawrence
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Lawrence

fol. 173v:

  1. W.164, fol. 173v
  2. Title: St. Nicasius
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Nicasius

fol. 175r:

  1. W.164, fol. 175r
  2. Title: St. Vincent
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Vincent

fol. 176r:

  1. W.164, fol. 176r
  2. Title: St. Clement
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Clement

fol. 177r:

  1. W.164, fol. 177r
  2. Title: All Saints
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to All Saints

fol. 178r:

  1. W.164, fol. 178r
  2. Title: Kiss of Peace and Mercy
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to peace

fol. 178bv:

  1. W.164, fol. 178bv
  2. Title: St. Aegydius
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Aegydius

fol. 179r:

  1. W.164, fol. 179r
  2. Title: St. Lupus
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Lupus

fol. 180r:

  1. W.164, fol. 180r
  2. Title: St. Desiderius martyred
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Desiderius

fol. 183v:

  1. W.164, fol. 183v
  2. Title: St. Julian the Hospitaller and wife
  3. Form: Three-quarter-page miniature
  4. Text: Suffrage to St. Julian

Binding

The binding is not original.

Rebound second half of nineteenth century by Chambolle-Duru, Paris; mustard-colored leather; sewn on five cords, silk endbands in red, yellow, and green, with matching ribbon marker; spine inscribed "LIVRE D'HEURES" and at bottom "MANUSCRIT"; binder's name in gold on bottom turn-in, inside upper board; edges of pages regilt


Provenance

Created ca. 1430-40, possibly in Brabant, with feasts of Tournai and Cambrai in calendar, and Office of the Dead is Use of Liège; original owner possibly had Franciscan and Francophile sympathies given texts in suffrages (fols. 165v and 166v)

Damascène Morgand (?), Paris, his possible inventory number "15283" inscribed on front pastedown (Randall's suggestion)

Henry Walters, Baltimore, purchased between 1895 and 1931


Acquisition

Walters Art Museum, 1931, by Henry Walters' bequest


Bibliography

De Ricci, Seymour. Census of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the United States and Canada. Vol. 1. New York: H. W. Wilson Company, 1935; p. 788, cat. no. 196.

Wieck, Roger Seymour. Time Sanctified: The Book of Hours in Medieval Art and Life. Exhibition Catalogue. Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery. NY: George Braiziller, 1988; pp. 115, 209, cat. no. 82, fig. 94.

Rogers, N.J. "The Miniature of St. John the Baptist in Gonville and Caius MS 241/127 and Its Context." In Fifteenth-Century Flemish Manuscripts in Cambridge Collections. Transactions of the Cambridge Bibliographical Society, Volume X. Cambridge: Cambridge University Library, 1992; p. 228.

Randall, Lilian M. C. Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the Walters Art Gallery. Vol. 3, Belgium, 1250-1530. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press in association with the Walters Art Gallery, 1997; pp. 132-139, cat. no. 232.


Contributors

Principal cataloger: Randall, Lilian M.C.

Cataloger: Herbert, Lynley

Editor: Herbert, Lynley

Copy editor: Dibble, Charles

Conservators: Owen, Linda; Quandt, Abigail

Contributors: Emery, Doug; Noel, William; Schuele, Allyson; Tabritha, Ariel; Toth, Michael B.; Valle, Chiara; Wiegand, Kimber


Publisher

The Walters Art Museum


License

Licensed for use under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Access Rights, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode. It is requested that copies of any published articles based on the information in this data set be sent to the curator of manuscripts, The Walters Art Museum, 600 North Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21201.