Manuscript leaf from a Book of Hours, in Latin, produced in France (Valenciennes)

Text: From a Book of Hours, in Latin

Script: Cursiva Formata (Bastarda)

Scribe: Johann de Bomalia

Illuminator: Simon Marmion (or by a member of his immediate circle)

The text shows parts of Psalms 115, 116 and 117.

The text is in a single column of sixteen lines in an extremely attractive flourished and slightly sloping early Bâtarde hand. There are eleven one-line initials in brushed gold on a blue or red ground, two two-line initials in gold on a red and blue ground, and a fine “trompe l’oeil” quarter panel border on each side. The panels have charming and convincing illusionistic grey and white acanthus leaves and flowers including pastel-coloured scarlet pimpernel, rose, germander speedwell and strawberry. Rubrics are in red. Line ruling is in red ink.

The border illumination was done either by the great and enigmatic master Flemish illuminator, Simon Marmion, or by a member of his immediate circle. In addition to the artist’s characteristic pastel palette, a special feature of note here is the delicacy, which is a hallmark of Marmion’s work from the period. The source of this leaf was a portion of a Book of Hours of the Use of Cambrai sold to H.P. Kraus at the Hôtel Drouot as lot 26 on 19 May 1976.

The scribe is known to have been the Dominican scribe Johann de Bomalia, recorded as a member of the Bruges illuminators’ guild of Saints John and Luke from 1489. Although he principally worked in Bruges, the text of the present Book of Hours, from which the leaf comes, was of the rare Use of Cambrai, corresponding exactly with B.N. ms.lat. 17295, and either the scribe travelled south or the commission was centred closely on patronage within the diocese of Cambrai, which included Valenciennes. Dr Bodo Brinkmann says that the present manuscript is “very close to Marmion” (cf. “Margaret of York, Simon Marmion and the Visions of Tondal”, edited by T. Kren, Getty Museum, 1992, p. 192). The leaf from the manuscript’s opening of Terce is in the Getty Museum (Ms 34), and also only has a border. The Calendar and some text leaves are in Munich (Staatliche Graphische Sammlung Inv. 40051-62 and 18736-58); other text leaves are in the Historische Museum in Frankfurt (C. 85-89, 754-59, and 6439-41).

Recto side:

1 [115:19] . . . domini i(n) medio tui ihr(usa)l(e)m . p(salmu)s . [Psalm 115

2 [116:1]L Audate dominu(m) om(ne)s [Psalm 116

3 gentes . laudate eum

4 omnes populi [116:2]Q uoniam

5 confirmata est super nos mi-

6 sercordia eius . et veritas d(omi)ni

7 manet i(n) et(er)num . p(salmu)s .

8 [117:1]C Onfitemini domino [Psalm 117

9 quoniam bonus . quoniam

10 i(n) seculum misericordia eius .

11 [117:2]D icat nunc israel quonia(m)

12 bonus . quoniam i(n) seculum

13 misericordia eius . [117:3]D icat

14 nunc domus aaron . quonia(m)

15 i(n) seculum misericordia eius .

16 [117:4]D icant nunc qui timent

Verso side:

1 dominum . quoniam i(n) s(e)c(u)l(u)m

2 misericordia eius . [117:5]D e tri-

3 bulacione invocavi dominu(m)

4 et exaudivit me in latitudine

5 dominus . [117:6]D ominus michi

6 adiutor . non timebo quid faciat

7 michi homo . [117:7]D (omi)ne michi

8 adiutor . et ego despiciam ini-

9 micos meos . [117:8]B onum est

10 confidere in domino . quam

11 confidere in homine . [117:9]O onu(m) [Should be ‘B onum’

12 est sperare in domino . quam

13 sperare in principib(us) . [117:10]D m(ne)s [Should be ‘O mnes’

14 gentes circuierunt me . et in [Should be ‘circumierunt’

15 nomine domini quia vultus [Should be ‘ultus’

16 sum i(n) eos . [117:11]C ircundantes cir-

Notes:

A Letters: a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u/v,A,O.

Versals: B,C,D,L,O,Q.

B Alternative forms of ‘d’(3), ‘r’(2) and ‘s’(3).

C Fusion between letters ‘bo’, ‘da’, ‘de’, ‘do’, ‘os’, ‘pe’ and ‘po’.

D Elision between letters ‘ci’, cu’, ‘fi’ and ‘ri’.

E Hair lines are on the last letter of many words

F The curled diacritic on ‘i’ in verso line 1.

G The number of uncorrected scribal mistakes.

The Renaissance poet Jean Lemaire called Marmion (c. 1425-1489) ?the very prince of book illumination?, and he is generally acknowledged to be one of the greatest Flemish artists of his day as well as one of the giants among fifteenth-century illuminators. Born in Amiens to a family of artists (his father, brother, and sister were also painters), Marmion began painting as early as 1450, and by 1457 he had left Amiens to establish his workshop in Valenciennes in Hainault, then part of the Flemish-Burgundian principality. He produced large-scale works as well as miniatures, and lived on a princely scale, executing commissions secured from the refined and wealthy members of the Burgundian court. He is reported to have worked for no less than four years on a breviary for Philip, Duke of Burgundy.

For more on Marmion, see, among many others, ?Simon Marmion, ?Prince des Enlumineurs,?? in Maurits Smeyers? ?L?Art de la Miniature Flamande?, pp. 338-52.