Beschreibung:

BOOK OF HOURS, use of Paris, in Latin and French, ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM
BOOK OF HOURS, use of Paris, in Latin and French, ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM [Paris, c.1490] 184 x 120mm. i + 108 leaves + i, misbound and lacking approximately 6 leaves from the end of matins, 23 lines written in black ink in lettre bâtarde between two verticals and 24 horizontals ruled in pink, justification: 110 x 60mm, versal initials touched in burnished gold patterned with blue and pink, CALENDAR WITH INHABITED BORDERS AND EVERY PAGE WITH A BORDER OF LEAVES AND FLOWERS, except f.108 originally blank, 12 SMALL MINIATURES with three-sided illuminated borders, 12 LARGE MINIATURES in arched compartments within full-page borders above three-line initials on gold grounds (small smudge affecting text f.7, light marginal staining ff.35-37, small offset to coat of arms f.89v). Full-calf binding signed by Léon Gruel (1840-1923), paneled in blind. Brown marbled slipcase with matching chemise. PROVENANCE: 1. The richly illuminated Book of Hours was made for an owner or owners whose initials 'C' and 'I' appear in blue and black on gold grounds in the borders of the calendar. The Calendar itself is largely Parisian with some variations; the saints in the litany include some who were especially popular in Paris, like Geneviève, also invoked in the suffrages (although her name is not highlighted in the Calendar itself), and some more revered elsewhere, like Martial, the Apostle of Limoges, especially popular in Southern France but also included in litanies from Rouen. 2. 16th century coat of arms argent, 3 chevrons gules on f.90. 3. Henry Huth (1815-1878); described in The Huth Library: A Catalogue of the Printed Books, Manuscripts, Autograph Letters, and Engravings, Collected by Henry Huth , 1880, II, p.730; by descent to his son, Alfred Henry Huth (1850-1910); sold on 2 June 1913, lot 3814; bought by Maggs for 110 and rebound by Gruel. The original binding, described in the Huth sale catalogue of 1913, vol.3, p.1099, was of red morocco and bore the arms and initials of Adolphe Audenet (1800-1872). 4. Bookplate 'FB'? on inner cover, with modern pencil notation in French. CONTENT: Calendar ff.1-6v; Office of the Virgin, use of Paris, bound out of order and lacking the end of matins: compline ff.7, 10-12v, lauds ff.13-20v, prime ff.29-32v, terce ff.33-35v, sext ff.36, 45-46v, none ff.47-49v, vespers ff.50-52v, 8-9v, matins ff.94-101v; Seven Penitential Psalms with Litany ff.21-28v, 37-41v; Short Hours of the Cross ff.42-44; Short Hours of the Holy Spirit ff.44v, 53-54v; Office of the Dead, use of Paris, ff.55-93v; Suffrages ff.102-107v: the Trinity f.102, St Michael f.102v, St John the Baptist f. 103, Sts Peter and Paul f.103v, St Sebastian f.104, St Nicholas f.104v, St Anthony f.105, St Mary Magdalene f. 105v, St Catherine f.106, St Barbara f.106v, St Margaret f.107, St Geneviève f.107v, blank f.108. ILLUMINATION: The illumination, characterised by the confident, fine strokes of liquid gold that give delicate definition to the garments of the figures, and by the bright palette of the naturalistic backgrounds and fashionable classicising architecture, is attributable to the Master of the Chronique scandaleuse, an illuminator active in Paris c.1490-c.1510, named from the Chronicle in Paris, BnF, ms Clair.481: F. Avril and N. Reynaud, Les manuscrits à peintures en France 1440-1520 , 1993, pp.274-7. The Calendar is particularly fine, with twenty four small miniatures adorning the borders, while the Saints in the Suffrages are rendered with vitality and skill. This delightful Book of Hours is a testament to the devotional and aesthetic tastes of a discerning patron and an early example of the bold, Renaissance style of the Master of the Chronique scandaleuse. The subjects of the large miniatures are as follows: the Coronation of the Virgin f. 7, the Visitation f. 13, Bathsheba in the Bath f. 21, the Nativity f. 29, the Announcement to Shepherds f. 33, the Adoration of the Magi f. 36, the Crucifixion f. 42, the Descent of the Holy