Shelfmark
MS 265
Author
Catholic Church
Title
Book of Hours (Use of Rome) [manuscript]
Varying form of title
Title in Ker, MMBL: Horae B.V.M.
Publication, distribution, etc.
Netherlands, 1490-1510.
Physical description
1 v. : ill. ; 206 x 142 mm.
Language
Written in Latin.
Note
Secundo folio: K[a]l[endarius] februarius habet dies.
Note
Material: membrane; Gregory's rule (FHHF).
Note
Format: codex.
Note
Written space: 116 x 83 mm.
Note
Number of leaves: iii + 179 + i.
Note
Collation: 1-2⁶ 3² 4⁸ 5⁸ + 1 leaf after 2, 6-8⁸ 9⁸ +1 leaf after 6, 10-13⁸ 14² 15-21⁸ 22¹⁰ 23⁴, together with eleven singletons with pictures on versos and blank rectos (Ker).
Note
Quire and leaf signatures and catchwords: none visible; one catchword, partially trimmed and written vertically, is at f.113v.
Note
Page preparation: ruled in purple ink; no pricking visible.
Note
Mise-en-page: single column (20 lines) written in a set script. Rubrics.
Note
Decoration: 11 full-page miniatures portray biblical scenes from the life of Christ. Smaller miniatures (c. 52 x 50 mm) at ff. 17r, 32r, 33r, 34r, 35r. Borders on yellow-orange, pink, blue or light green ground with floral, zoomorphic, and human figures; ff.62r, 83r portray hunting scenes. Red, blue, and gold line fillers at ff. 97v-101v. Decorated initials (9-10 lines) on red, blue, and painted gold ground.
Note
Handwriting: humanistic hand (ff.ii-iii); littera textualis with Italian influences (Ker) -- one hand (ff.1-179).
Note
Corrections: there are no gaps in the text or interlinear/marginal corrections.
Note
Marginalia, later additions: no marginalia. A 16th-century hand has added the prayer on ff.ii-iii.
Formatted contents note
Contents: ff.i-ii recto: blank; ff.ii verso - iii recto: prayer; f.iii verso: blank; ff.1r-12v: calendar; f.13r: blank; f.13v: full-page miniature (Christ holding an orb); ff.14r-15r: Salutation of St Veronica; ff.15v-16r: blank; f.16v: full-page miniature (Crucifixion showing a collapse Mary); ff.17r-21v: Hours of the Holy Cross; ff.22r-25v: Hours of the Holy Spirit; ff.26r-v: blank but ruled; f.27r: blank; f.27v: full page-miniature (the wounded Christ appears to his Mother); ff.28r-31v: Mass of Virgin Mary; ff.32r-36r: Sequentiae of the Gospels; f.36v: blank but faintly ruled; ff.37r-89v: Hours of the Virgin (ff. 50r-v, 65r, 77v-78r, 82r are blank); ff.90r-104v: penitential psalms (David in Repentance) and litany; f.105r: blank; f.105v: full-page miniature (Christ and Lazarus); ff.106r-136v: Office of the dead (Raising of Lazarus); ff.137r-v: blank but ruled; f.138r: blank; f.138v: full-page miniature (Judas' kiss); ff.139r-149v: the Passion according to Matthew; f.150r: blank; f.150v: full-page miniature (Christ with the crown of thorns); ff.151r-159v: the Passion according to Mark; f.160r: blank; f.160v: full-page miniature (the scourging of Christ); ff.161r-169v: the Passion according to Luke; f.170r: blank; f.170v: full-page miniature (Christ carrying the Cross); ff.171r-178r: the Passion according to John; ff.178v-179v: blank but ruled.
Citation/references note
N.R. Ker, Medieval manuscripts in British libraries, v. 2 (1977), pp. 793-794
Cite as
Eton College Library, MS 265
Provenance
Origin: the volume was made in the Netherlands; the scribe may have been from southern Europe.
Provenance
Provenance: the prayer on ff.ii-iii, datable palaeographically to the 16th century, suggests the owner of this volume was a woman, due to the use of gendered noun "peccatricis". In the 19th century, it belonged to Joseph Whatley (armorial bookplate on front pastedown). In the 20th century, it belonged to Brigadier H.A. Tyler, The Old Rectory, Dalham, Newmarket, Suffolk: sold by him at Sotheby's, 3 June 1946, lot 191 (Ker). It was then bought by John Hely-Hutchinson from Quaritch in November of the same year (bookplate on front pastedown) for £1250 (recorded by M.R. James in his personal copy of the College Library Catalogue). Hely Hutchinson finally donated it to Eton on 8th December 1947 (ex dono label on front flyleaf).
Binding
?16th-century black calfskin over wood boards. Covers decorated with gilt roll and double fillets to form a border; corner pieces in the shape of a wheel with flower tools at its outer edge; same wheel as centre piece; flower tools to fill space between centrepiece and corner pieces; two tools in the shape of a crowned eagle at the top and bottom of the centrepiece. Spine rebacked with six raised bands, decorated with gilt fillets and tools. Textblock gilted and gauffered. Endpapers of undecorated laid paper; one flyleaf at both ends of the textblock. The volume is protected by a modern case lined with velvet to protect the binding.
Subject
Catholic Church
Subject
Books of Hours Netherlands.
Subject
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Dutch 15th century.
Subject
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Dutch 16th century.
Added entry--name
Whatley, Joseph former owner.
Added entry--name
Tyler, H. A. former owner.
Added entry--name
Hely-Hutchinson, John former owner.
Added entry--place
Netherlands.
Language code
lat
Identifier
B51305