Add MS 58771

PSALTER-HOURS: use of Le Puy (or use of Clermont, adapted for Le Puy); France, second quarter of 15th cent. Latin. The calendar (ff. 1-6v) and the litany (ff. 180v-185v) include feasts and gradings appropriate to Le Puy, specifically dedication of the church and the feast of relics (11 July and 8 Nov.), and Sts George, Evodius, Scutarius, Armentarius, Suacrus and Paulien, bishops of Le Puy, also Abbots Maieul, Odilo, Theofredus and Robertus who were particularly venerated at Le Puy. Sts Bonitus, Genes, Agricola and Vitalis, Gallus and Quintinus, bishops of Clermont-Ferrand, also appear. Prayers and antiphons added by late 15th-cent. French hands on ff. 185v and 213v. Ownership notes by different hands of the 16th-17th cent., commencing with that of 'Martin' followed by a monogram [MGS?] on the front and rear pastedowns followed by 'Mauret' or 'Maures' and 'Brunel' on the rear pastedown. Purchased from Alan G. Thomas, 28 Feb. 1975.

Vellum; ff. iii+213. Contemporary foliation in red Roman numerals at top centre, beginning on f. 7 (i-ccvii). Sec. fol.: 'KL martius h(abe)t dies xxxj' (after calendar, f. 8, '-do pereatis'). 153 x 115mm. Medieval pastedowns and flyleaves to front (f. i) and back (ff. ii-iii). Gatherings (22) of 10, except i6, xviii12 (lacks 2 and 11), xxi8 (possibly lacks 8 blank). Ruled (single bounding lines) in ink and purple ink for single columns of 17 lines. Written space 92/94 x 64/67mm. Script is a textualis semi-quadrata media. Additional prayers by late 15th-cent. secretary hands. Horizontal catchwords. Late 15th-cent. French binding in brown calf on wooden boards, decorated with blind tools set on concentric rectangular frames and central vertical bands. Restored and rebacked. Sewn on four split cords. Traces of single clasp at the fore-edge of the upper board.

Contents:

1. ff. 1-6v. Calendar.

2. ff. 7-163. Psalter.

3. ff. 163-173. Lesser Canticles sung before the 'Laudate' Psalms of Lauds.

4. ff. 173-180. Choral texts for the Office and Mass.

5. ff. 180v-185v. Litany of the Saints.

6. ff. 186-201v. Hours of the Virgin.

7. ff. 202-209v. Office of the Dead.

8. ff. 210-211. Office of the Holy Spirit.

9. ff. 211v-213. Office of the Cross.

Decoration consists of 5-line decorated major initials (blue or red bodies with white highlighting and white, blue and red foliate infills against a gilded ground, set on a square purple or gilded ground) and full or partial borders with gilded bars and foliate decoration in blue, red and gold (ff. 7, 21, 36v, 51, 72, 90, 106v, 125). Gold and blue flourished minor initials (2-line) and litterae notabiliores (1-line), alternatively gold with black and blue with red. Gold, blue and red line-fillers for the litany (ff. 180-183v). Four half-page miniatures, set in foliate frames inside the writing space, mark the beginnings of the Hours of the Virgin, the Office of the Dead, the Office of the Holy Spirit and the Office of the Cross. Provincial style possibly influenced by Parisian models, such as those of the Boucicaut workshop.

Subjects of the miniatures are as follows:

1. f. 186. The Annunciation.

2. f. 202. A funeral service.

3. f. 210. The Trinity: God the Father enthroned holding Christ crucified, with small dove above Christ's head.

4. f. 211v. The Crucifixion with the Virgin and St John. At the left-hand side of the scene a layman and three soldiers in contemporary dress are peering at Christ from beneath an arched passage.