Book of Hours, Use of Thérouanne, in Latin and French Illuminated manuscript on parchment France, Hainault c.1470s

Parchment, c.175×140mm, i (paper) + 107 + i (paper) leaves; foliated in modern pencil i, 1 108; COMPLETE; collation: 16 (fols.1-6) | 28 (fols.7 14), 3 78 (fols.15 54), 84 (fols.55 58) | 9-138 (fols.59 98), 144-1 (last leaf cancelled with no apparent loss of text or decoration; fols.99 101), 158-2 (6th and 8th leaves cancelled without loss of text or decoration; fols.102 107); one catchword survives (fol.38v); prickings occasionally survive at the fore-edge; ruled in pink ink for 17 lines of text per page (33 lines in the calendar); written in a professional gothic bookhand in dark brown ink (occasionally with very calligraphic flourishes e.g. fols.16v, 17v), rubrics (often in French) and major feasts in the calendar in red, capitals stroked in yellow wash; the ruled space c.115×73 78mm; illuminated with TWELVE LARGE ARCH-TOPPED MINIATURES FRAMED IN GOLD, typically above 5 lines of text (above 4 lines on fols. 45r, 48v, above 6 lines on fol.75r) and a 4-line initial (5-line initials on fols.7r, 24v, 54v, 75r), EACH SURROUNDED BY A FULL BORDER of stylised acanthus and semi-naturalistic foliate, flowers, and fruit, with some naturalistic birds (fol.15r, 41v, 59r), a human headed hybrid (fol.48v) 5-line foliate initials in blue and rose with white ornament on a cusped square gold field, at the start of major texts below the miniatures; one 3-line champie initial in gold on a cusped square field of rose and blue with white ornament, accompanied by a one-sided border in the outer margin, to the prayer Obsecro te ; similar 2-line champie initials throughout, each accompanied by a one-sided border in the outer margin, to psalms, hymns, prayers, the KL monograms in the calendar, etc., each accompanied by a one-sided border in the outer margin; similar 1-line champie initials throughout to verses; similar line-fillers in the litany.Binding Originally sewn on five bands, now sewn on four, and bound in 17th(?)-century German(?) black leather over wood boards, each cover with a gilt panel and a central stamp of the Virgin and Child of the Apocalypse within a sunburst (she is crowned and holds a sword/taper/sceptre), no spine-title, the fore-edge with two clasps, apparently unrestored, marbled pastedowns, the edges of the leaves gilt. Condition Generally in very good condition throughout, with minor thumbing; some cropping of the borders and upper edges of some miniatures; the face of John in the Crucifixion may perhaps have had its outlines strengthened at a later date; some wear to the binding, with small losses at the head and tail of the spine; damp-staining to the paper endleaves. Provenance 1. Written and decorated in the diocese of Thérouanne for someone with a special devotion to St Barbara who probably lived in or near St-Josse (on the coast about 30 miles south-west of Thérouanne): the style of illumination is consistent with the liturgical Use of Thérouanne; some of the French spellings show Picard influence (e.g. merchi for merci ); the Calendar includes as a major feast (in red) the very rare feast of the translation of the relics of Josse/Jodocus (25 July), which also occurs in a Breviary of the Use of Thérouanne (Leroquais, Bréviaires, I, p.13); other feasts include: Basil (2 March), Leger (27 March), Eutropia (30 March, 30 April), Valéry (1 April), Acarius (6 April), the translation of the relics of Omer, bishop of Thérouanne (8 June), and his main feast (9 September), Josse (11 June), Eligius of Noyon (25 June, in red, and 1 December), Bertin of St-Omer (16 July, 4 September; St-Omer is about 10 miles north of Thérouanne), Ghislain (9 October, in red), Hubert (3 November), Maximus (27 November), Nicaise (14 December, in red); there also seems to be some mendicant interest, with Dominike (24 May), Erasmus (2 June), Clare (12 August), and Francis (17 September, 4 October); .for further description and photos visit our website