Book of Hours (Rome-style)
See original version (French)

Estimate €80,000 - €100,000

Description

Book of Hours (Rome-style) In Latin and French, an illuminated manuscript on parchment Northern France or Belgium, Hainaut (Valenciennes? Mons?) for the large miniatures, c. 1520–1530 With 12 large miniatures, 15 small miniatures, 24 illuminated borders in trompe-l’œil style Large miniatures attributable to an artist from Hainaut, possibly the Copenhagen artist, KB, NKS 50 h 8° (‘Der Maler der Sept Psaumes allégorisés’ [Master of the Seven Allegorised Psalms]); small miniatures attributable to another anonymous artist; illuminated borders by an anonymous artist. 155 ff., some internal losses (notably the calendar, and probably also the Gospel pericopes?), large miniatures painted on leaves with a white recto, Gothic script in black ink, 16 long lines per page, ruled in pale red ink (text area: 105 x 70 mm), headings in red, line endings in pink or blue with ornamental gilded decoration, small initials in liquid gold on blue or pink backgrounds, large initials (4 lines high) introducing the major textual divisions in gold and brown with motifs of coiled phylacteries, on blue or pink backgrounds, some featuring heads or busts in shades of blue or pink (ff. 7, 12, 32, 50, 55, 65, 81, 103), all the large miniatures and the first pages of the major textual sections surrounded by rich ‘Ghent-Bruges’ style borders on a golden-yellow background or, occasionally, borders with coloured compartments and branches of wood and acanthus leaves (fol. 102v) or a coffered design (with gemstones or jewels, fol. 43v), flowers, fruit, animals and various figures in the margins (including: a dog chasing a stag, a lion and a horse, a hare and a stag, birds, a fly and a butterfly, a bird pecking at a bunch of grapes, a horseman on horseback, a dog eating a bone, a cat lapping up milk, a sheep, hybrid creatures, a monkey eating a flower, an eagle, two roosters facing each other, a monkey playing music to a snail, a bird and a butterfly, a bagpiper, a hybrid creature ridden by a monkey, two dogs sharing a bone, a dog showing off). Red velvet binding, smooth spine (velvet pile worn in places), patches of older velvet (?), endpapers replaced, gilt edges. Dimensions of the binding: 176 x 120 mm; dimensions of the leaves: 170 x 112 mm. A superb manuscript that has yet to reveal all its secrets. As regards the large miniatures, this Book of Hours can be linked to the little-known and scarcely studied work of an artist from Hainaut, clearly an heir to the models and aesthetic of Simon Marmion, known as the ‘prince of illumination’, who was active in Valenciennes until 1489. Whilst this artist shares certain similarities with the Master of Antoine Rolin—a prolific artist and follower of Marmion in Valenciennes (active until 1520)—it is to another of Marmion’s followers that the large miniatures can be attributed. The Master of the Seven Allegorised Psalms was an excellent painter active in Hainaut who worked alongside the workshop of the Master of Antoine Rolin and that of the Master of Ariana 1 (named after Geneva, BPU, MS Ariana 1). The Master of the Seven Allegorised Psalms notably painted the eponymous work held in Copenhagen, KB, NKS 50 h 8°, and he was the second illuminator of the Book of Hours held in London, BL, Add. 31838 (a work painted in collaboration with an artist from the circle of the Master of Antoine Rolin). The borders and the rest of the secondary decoration, as well as the 15 small miniatures illustrating the Suffrages, are highly original and merit a study in their own right. This manuscript is not mentioned in the specialist literature.

See original version (French)

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About the sale TREASURES OF THE LOIRE VALLEY: Mr X’s Collection of Rare Books

Auction location

Auction time 11/22/2026 at 5:00 PM

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Book of Hours (Rome-style) See original version (French)

Book of Hours (Rome-style)
See original version (French)