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Add MS 31915

Record Id:

032-002025616

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

032-002025616

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000000054.0x0001e4

LARK:

SLARK:

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

Add MS 31915

Title:

Middle Dutch Book of Hours

Scope & Content:

This mutilated Middle Dutch Book of Hours contains standard texts such as the Hours of the Virgin Mary, the Hours of the Eternal Wisdom, the Short Hours of the Holy Cross, the Seven Penitential Psalms and the Office of the Dead, followed a section of prayers for communion and prayers to God, Christ, the Virgin Mary, and St Erasmus.

Contents:

ff. 1r-12v: Calendar [includes St Bavo, St Boniface, St Lebuinus, St Pontianus of Spoleto, St Jerome of Noordwijk].

ff. 13r-45v: The Hours of the Virgin Mary, beginning and ending imperfectly, ‘beden ende laet ons voer goede neder vallen’.

ff. 46r-66v: The Hours of the Eternal Wisdom, beginning and ending imperfectly, ‘der sonden ende om dat ewighe leven amen’.

ff. 67r-73r: The Short Hours of the Holy Cross, beginning imperfectly, ‘dese tijd ende inder tijt als mijn siel van minen lichaem scheiden sal’.

ff. 74r-83v: The Seven Penitential Psalms, beginning imperfectly, ‘Alle mijn vianden moeten hem scamen’.

ff. 83v-87v : A litany of saints, ending imperfectly, ‘Heer ontferme di onser Criste ontferme di onser Here ontferme di onser [etc.]’ [includes St Bavo, St Odulf, St Willibrord].

ff. 88r-110v: Office of the Dead, beginning and ending imperfectly, ‘die ons ghemaect hevet want hi onse here ende onse god’.

f. 111v: A Paternoster on the Passion, ‘[rubric:] pater noster [prayer:] O here ihesu Christe ic bidde die doer die bitterheit dijnre passien die du gheleden hebste inden cruce [etc.]’.

ff. 111r-111v: A prayer to Christ, ‘[rubric:] Een ghebet [prayer:] Ic bidde di here ihesu Christe dat dijn passie mi si een cract mit welken ic mach werden verwaert [etc.]’.

ff. 111v-114r: A prayer to the Cross, ‘[rubric:] Een ghebet voerden cruce [prayer:] Ic arme snode sondaer legghe hier neder ghevallen voer die voeten uwer hogher moghentheit al mijn roepen is om ghenade [etc.]’.

ff. 114r-115r: A prayer to be read before Communion, ‘[rubric:] Alstu ten sacramente wilste gaen een ghebet [prayer:] O here ihesu Christe voer dat aenschijn dijnre godliker moghentheit so stae ic arme sondare ende bekenne dat ic niet waerdich en bin tot dinen heilighen outaer te gaen [etc.]’.

ff. 115r-116v: A prayer to be read before Communion, ‘[rubric:] Een ander ghebet [prayer:] O alre suetste ende minnentlicste here ihesu Christe wien ic nu devotelic begheer geesteliken in mijn siele te onfanghen [etc.]’.

ff. 116v-117r: A prayer to be read after Communion, ‘[rubric:] Als ghi tsacrament ontfanghen hebt leest dit [prayer:] O heer vader ende milde god Ic dancke di van alle dinen graven ende ghenaden dattu mi arme sondighe mensche huden hebste ghetroest mitten heilighen lichaem ons heren ihesu Christi dijns enighen soens [etc.]’.

ff. 117r-119v: A prayer to the Virgin Mary, ‘[rubric:] Van onse vrouwe een guet ghebet [prayer:] O onbevlecte ende eweliken ghebenedide die men nyemant ghelicken en mach maria moeder gods ende altoes maghet alre heilichste tempel gods [etc.]’.

ff. 120r-127v: Prayers and texts for Mass, beginning imperfectly, ‘Weest ghegruet heilighe ioncfrouwe moeder ende maghet du wonneste den coninc die hemel ende aerde regiert in ewicheit der ewicheiden amen [etc.]’.

ff. 127v-129r: Verses attributed to St Bernard of Clairvaux, ‘[rubric:] dese versen plach sinte bernaert daghelixs te lesen [prayer:] Heer verlicht mijn oghen op dat ic tot ghenen tide ontslaep en werde inden dode ende opdat mine vianden niet en segghen hi is verwonnen [etc.]’.

ff. 129r-130v: A prayer to St Erasmus, ‘[rubric:] Een ghebet des sonnendaghes van sinte herasimus martelaer [prayer:] O heilighe hersame martelaer cristi die inden sonnendaghe gheoffert wortste [etc.]’.

ff. 130v-133v: A prayer for submitting oneself to God, ‘[rubric:] Ghebet [prayer:] Ic bevele mi die mogentheit des vaders Ic bevele mi die wijsheit des soens Ic bevele mi die minne des heilighen gheest [etc.]’.

ff. 133v-135r: A prayer for Communion, ‘[rubric:] Ghebet [prayer:] O guedertieren ende barmhertighe vader ic arme sondighe mensch begheer huden te ontfanghen deat ghebenedide lichaem ons heren ihesu Christi dijns ewighen gheboren soens [etc.]’.

ff. 135r-136r: A prayer of the words that the Virgin Mary spoke when Christ’s dead body was on her lap, ‘[rubric:] dit sijn die woerden die onse lieve vrouwe sprack . [prayer:] Hoe mochte maria spreken wt haerre moederlike herte doe si haren lieven soen sach in haren scoet doot ghenoemen vanden cruce [etc.]’.

ff. 136r-138v: A prayer to Christ with indulgences and spiritual rewards affirmed by Johannes Chrysostomus, ‘[rubric:] Soe wie dat dese naeghescreven oracie alle daghe leeset die verdient ·C· duysent iaer oflaets ende ·xc· karenen · Ende alsoe dicke alst een mensche leset zoe verdient hij dit selver oflaet voirscreven · Ende daer toe leet · Sinte Jan guldemont ende seit soe wie dattet alle daghe leest · Die en sal nemer hierr sterven zonder warachtigh biecht noch zonder sacrament Noch sonder dat heilighe olysel · Ende hi mach des seker wesen dat hij byder ghenaden gods behouden sel zijn · Ende nemermeer van gode ghesceyden te worden · Amen [prayer:] In die teghenwordicheit dyns heilighen duerbaren bloets ghenadighe ende ontfermhertighe god Huyden ende tot allen tyden bevel ic u myn ziel ende myn lichaem [etc.]’ [this prayer is a 15^th- or 16^th-century addition].

[f. 73v is blank].

Decoration:

14 large initials in blue in gold frames, containing flowers and fruits in colours inside the letter, and a partial (one-sided) border in purple and gold (ff. 19v, 27r, 30r, 32r, 34v, 37r, 42r, 46r, 55r, 56r, 58r, 60r, 61v, 64v]; small red or blue initials with blue or red penwork decoration with green fillings; small initials in blue or red without penwork decoration.

Collection Area:

Western Manuscripts

Project / Collection:

Additional Manuscripts

Hierarchy Tree:

[{ "id" : "032-002025616", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Add MS 31915: Middle Dutch Book of Hours" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-002025616

Is part of:

not applicable

Hierarchy:

032-002025616

Container:

not applicable

Record Type (Level):

Fonds

Extent:

Parchment manuscript

Digitised Content:

Languages:

Dutch, Middle

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1450

End Date:

1499

Date Range:

2nd half of the 15th century

Era:

Access:

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User Conditions:

Letter of introduction required to view this manuscript

Physical Characteristics:

Materials: Parchment.

Dimensions: 160 x 120 (text space: 90 x 70 mm).

Foliation: ff. 136 ( + 2 unfoliated parchment flyleaves at the beginning + 1 at the end); 2 stubs of parchment folios between f. 12 and f. 13; 1 stub between f. 52 and f. 53: 2 between f. 66 and f. 67; f. 87 and f. 88; f. 110 and f. 111; 1 between f. 119 and f. 120; 1 after f. 138; f. 64 has a large tear.

Binding: 15^th-century blind-tooled and –stamped leather binding, the spine inscribed in gold at the British Museum: ‘HOURS . DUTCH’. The upper and lower outside binding contains a round with the Lamb of God and the symbols of the four Evangelists in the corners. A text surrounding the central image reads: ‘Siet dat lam goedes dat boert die sonden d[er] uerlt’. This Lamb of God panel-stamp is categorised as type III.d. by Margriet Hülsmann (‘Noord-Hollandse boekbanden’, 2004, p. 121, p. 125). The binding also has marks of hinges for two clasps.

Custodial History:

Origin: Netherlands, North (North Holland/Hoorn ?).

Provenance:

North Holland: according to Margriet Hülsmann (‘Noord-Hollandse boekbanden’, 2004, p. 121, p. 125) the manuscript's Lamb of God panel-stamp (type III.d) was produced in the second half of the fifteenth century; another manuscript with the same type of panel-stamp was produced in North Holland, perhaps in Hoorn.

William Henry James Weale (b. 1832, d. 1917), art historian: purchased from him by the British Museum on 27 March 1882: note on f. [ii] recto: ‘Purchased of W. H. J. Weale Esq. 27 Mar. 1882’.

Publications:

Karel de Flou and Edward Gailliard, Beschrijving van Middelnederlandse en andere handschriften die in Engeland bewaard worden, Verslagen en Mededelingen van de Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie voor Taal- en Letterkunde, 3 vols (Ghent: Koninklijke Vlaamsche Academie voor Taal- en Letterkunde, 1895–1897), II (1896), pp. 198-202 (no. 33).

Robert Priebsch, Deutsche Handschriften in England, 2 vols (Erlangen: Junge, 1896–1901), II, pp. 260-61 (no. 301).

Stephanus Gerard Axters, ‘Bibliotheca Dominicana Neerlandica manuscripta: 1224-1500’, Bibliothèque de la Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique, 49 (1970), p. 385.

Margriet Hülsmann, ‘Met Prosper Verheyden op pad: Noord-Hollandse boekbanden opnieuw belicht: Lam Gods-paneelstempels versus penwerkdecoratie’, in E Codicibus Impressisque: Opstellen over het boek in de Lage Landen voor Elly Cockx-Indestege III, Miscellanea Neerlandica 30 (Leuven: Peeters, 2004), pp. 97-137 (p. 121, p. 125).

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Not Public Record(s)

Related Material:

Catalogue of Additions to the Manuscripts in the British Museum in the Years 1882-1887 (London: Longmans, 1889), p. 5: 'HOURS, penitential psalms, litany, services for the dead, and prayers. Dutch. Imperfect. Vellum; ff. 138. XVth cent. In binding of stamped leather, having on either cover a panel containing an Agnus Dei and the symbols of the Evangelists, with the legend, "Siet dat lam goedes dat boert die sonden dusrl." Small Octavo'.