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an old book with a red cover sitting on top of a white surfacean open book with a decorative design on the front of it
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Description
[BRITTANY]. In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, France, Brittany (Saint-Malo?), c. 1420–1430. Book of Hours for use in Saint-Malo. 129 folios, some missing pages (see Text below) [collation impracticable, several missing pages, a few fill-in pages, quires mostly comprising 8 leaves], Gothic script in brown ink, with 15 lines per page, ruled in pale red ink (text size: 92 x 65 mm), rubrics in red, line endings with ornamental decoration in red and blue, initials in blue and red with filigree decoration in red or blue (1 to 2 lines high), large initials in blue or pink on pink or blue and gold backgrounds with coloured vine leaf decoration (4 lines high), extensions with gilded bands and an illuminated border with scrollwork, gilded leaves and small coloured flowers (a total of 10 pages with decoration and illuminated border), spaces reserved for illuminations that were not executed, later inscription ‘Leprince’ (lower margin, fol. 20v).   Modern binding in tan sheepskin with natural grain, spine with 4 raised bands, compartmentalised and decorated with fleurons, red leather title label, double framing on the covers with gilded fillets and gilded discs at the corners, guilloché-cut edges, gilded interior garland (vine motifs), endpapers and flyleaves of twisted marbled paper. Rigid slipcase of marbled paper. Jaws rubbed, a few losses; first leaf restored with an old leaf reattached to modern vellum. Scuffing inside, a few stains, faint ink in places. Dimensions: 160 x 115 mm. This manuscript is of the rare Saint-Malo type: the calendar and litanies are clearly from Saint-Malo. Spaces were left for illuminations—which were never executed—to illustrate the major textual divisions, but traces of glue are visible, as if engravings or images had been pasted into these places.   From a stylistic point of view, the secondary decoration is highly reminiscent of the initials and borders in the *Heures d’Isabeau de Pontbriand* in the Saint-Malo tradition, circa 1420–1430 (Rennes, BM, MS 1277; see Deuffic, 2009, p. 147 and reproduction on p. 148). Text ff. 1–6v, Calendar, for use at Saint-Malo, in Latin, in red and brown ink; the following saints are listed: Vincent (in red, 22 January) [Saint-Malo Cathedral is dedicated to Saint Vincent]; Jacut, abbot (8 February); Aubin (1 March); Servais (13 May); Yves (19 May, in red); Donatien (24 May); Méen (in red, 21 June); Aaron (22 June); Translation of Saint Eloi (in red, 25 June); Lunaire (in red, 1 July); Translation of Saint Malo (in red, 11 July); Turiau, bishop (13 July); Samson, bishop (28 July, in red); Guillaume, bishop (29 July, in red, Guillermi episcopi briocensis); Dedication of the Church of Saint-Malo (30 October: ‘Dedicatio ecclesie macloviensis’); Gobrien, Bishop (3 November); Malo, Bishop (in red, 15 November); Tugdual, Bishop of Tréguier (in red, 30 November). ff. 7–7v, Excerpts from the Psalms, in later Roman script, a later addition, likely the beginning of the Missal of the Virgin, now missing.   ff. 8–53v, Hours of the Virgin, for use at Saint-Malo (?), intermingled with the Little Hours of the Cross and of the Holy Spirit (?), including Matins (incomplete); Lauds, antiphon, ‘Post partum’, capitulum, ‘Beata es virgo’; Prime, antiphon, ‘O admirabile’, capitulum, ‘Hec est virgo’; Terce (incomplete); Sext, antiphon, ’Quando natus’, chapter verse, ‘Paradisi porta’; none, incomplete but with chapter verse, ‘Gaude Maria’; vespers, antiphon, ‘Ave Maria’, chapter verse, ‘Ave Maris stella’; compline, antiphon, ‘Cum iocunditate’, chapter verse, ‘Sicut Cynamomium’; Nunc Dimittis antiphon, ‘Sancta dei genitrix’ (fol. 51v). It should be noted that the list of antiphons and capitals from the Hours of the Virgin for the diocese of Saint-Malo was not recorded by E. Drigsdhal. The antiphons and capitula in this manuscript correspond to those found in other manuscripts catalogued as being in the Saint-Malo usage, for example: Rennes, Médiathèque des Champs-Libres, MS 1510.   ff. 54–71, Penitential Psalms, followed by litanies (notably: Malo, Guillaume, Brioci, Paterne, Corentin, Yves, Tugdual, Theobald, Sulin, Eloi, Colomba, Brigitte).   ff. 71v–94v, Office of the Dead, according to the rite of Saint-Malo (or another Breton diocese, perhaps Nantes?), with the following responsories: (1) Credo quod; (2) Qui Lazarum; (3) *Domine quando*; (4) *Heu michi*; (5) *Ne recorderis*; (6) *Libera me*; (7) *Peccantem me*; (8) *Requiem eternam*; (9) *Libera me*.   It should be noted that Leroquais records a different sixth responsory for the Office of the Dead for use in Saint-Malo: ‘Domine secundum’, whilst the present manuscript does indeed contain a sixth responsory: ‘Libera me’ (see Leroquais, Paris, BnF, nal 3163, fol. 43). For the diocese of Nantes, also in Brittany, the list of responsories contained here is noted (see Leroquais, Paris, BnF, nal 3163, fol. 51).   ff. 95–109, Prayers, the first of which is incomplete, followed by ‘O intemerata’; then several prayers, including one introduced by a rubric: ‘Oratio sancti Thome de Aquino’ (fol. 105)   ff. 109v–112v, Dedicated prayers, introduced by highlighted captions: ‘Dum ibis cubitu intrando letum dicas hanc oratio’ (prayer to be said before going to bed); ‘Cum exitus finus a sompno dicas versus’; ‘Cum suriexit de leto dicas’ and others. ff. 112v–115v, Gospel passages (accounts of the Passion). ff. 115v–129v, Hours of the Cross.   Bibliography Deuffic, J. L., ‘Horae ad usum macloviensis diocesis’, in Notes de bibliologie. Livres d’heures et manuscrits du Moyen Age identifiés (14th–16th centuries), Turnhout, 2009, pp. 141–150. – Deuffic, J. L. and D. Booton. The Illuminated Book of Hours in Brittany, Turnhout, 2019.
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About the sale Books, Manuscripts & Antique Engravings, including the José Luis Dotti Library
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Auction time 09/23/2026 at 2:30 PM
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