Manuscript leaf from a Book of Hours, in Latin, printed by Antoine Vérard, produced...

MS 5650/87

Manuscript leaf from a Book of Hours, in Latin, printed by Antoine Vérard, produced in France (Paris)

1506

Text: From a Book of Hours, in Latin

Font: Font based on Cursiva Formata (Bastarda) script

Printer: Antoine Vérard

The text is presented to simulate a manuscript version, with numerous abbreviations, and variations of letters to suit the position in words. Hand painted versals and line fillers are all in gold on red or blue. Capitals are touched with yellow and even red line ruling has been added by hand. On two borders of each side are fine metalcut scenes.

Panel borders are on both sides. There is one two-line versal, four one-line versals and three line fillers. On the bottom edge of the recto is the letter ‘g’ to aid the binder.

This leaf is from the same Book of Hours as MS 5650/64 and MS 5650/86.

Recto side:

1 dietur . Quere in primis vesp(er)is . Hymn(us) . O glo-

2 riosa . v(ersus) Benedicta tu in mulierib(us) . R(esponsorium) . Et bene-

3 dictus fructus ve(n)tris tui . Ad B(e)n(e)dict(us) . an(tiphona) . Spi-

4 ritus sanctus (et) c(etera). Kyri eleyson . Christe eleyso(n) . Ky-

5 ri eleyson . Or(ati)o . Deus qui de beate marie . an(tiphona) . Ec-

6 ce dominus veniet . v(ersus) . Ecce apparebit . R(esponsorium) . Et cu(m)

7 eo . Or(ati)o . Conscientias (et) c(etera) . Quere totum in pri-

8 mis vesperis . an(tiphona) . Ave stella matutina . Ad pri-

9 mam an(tiphona) . Missus est gabriel . v(ersus) . Dignare me

10 laudare te virgo sacrata . R(esponsorium) Da michi virtute(m)

11 contra hostes tuos . Oratio . Deus qui de beate

12 marie . an(tiphona) . Ecce dominus veniet . v(ersus) . Ecce appa-

13 rebit . R(esponsorium) . Et cum eo . Oratio . Conscientias no-

14 stras (et) c(etera) . Et dicitur ad omnes horas . Ad tertia(m) .

15 an(tiphona) . Ave maria . Cap(itu)l(u)m . Egredietur . v(ersus) . Diffu-

16 sa . Pro sanctis . ut supra . Ad sextam . an(tiphona) . Ne ti-

17 meas maria .

Capitulum .

18 D Abit ei d(omi)n(u)s sedem david patris ei(us) et re-

19 gnabit in domo iacob in eternu(m) : et regni

20 eius non erit finis . Deo gratias . v(ersus) . Benedicta

21 tu in mulieribus . R(esponsorium) . Et benedictus fructus ven-

22 tris tui . Pro sanctis . ut supra . Ad nonam . an(tiphona) .

23 Ecce ancilla . C(a)p(itulu)m . Ecce virgo co(n)cipiet . v(ersus) . An-

24 gelus domini nunciavit marie . R(esponsorium) . Et concepit

25 de spiritu sancto . Orationes et v(ersus) . de sanctis ut

26 supra . Ad vesperas et Completorium . ut su-

27 pra . Benedicamus domino . Deo gratias .

28

Notandu(m) est q(uod) adventus domini semper in-

Verso side:

1 cipit in dominica proximiori festo sancti andree

2 sive sit ante sive post . Veru(m)tamen si accidat q(uod) se

3 s(piri)tu sancti andree cadat in d(omi)nica : etia(m) ibi in eade(m)

4 dominica debemus incipere adventum domini .

5 Et quando festum beati andree est in die iovis

6 veneris vel sabbati : adve(n)tus domini erit in do-

7 minica sequenti . Qua(n)do vero est i(n) die lune : mar-

8 tis : vel mercurii : adventus d(omi)ni incipit in d(omi)nica

9 precedenti . Et hec sufficiant . [line filler]

10

Ulterius notandu(m) est q(uod) a vigilia nativita-

11 tis domini usq(ue) ad purificationem beate marie

12 sit officium sicut ante adventum : excepto q(uod) per

13 omnes horas dicitur hec oratio Deus qui salu-

14 tis . additis orationibus de apostolis cum aliis .

15 (et) cum suis versiculis (et) antiphonis sicut notatu(m)

16 est ante adventum in officio . [line filler]

17

Et nota q(uod) nichil mutatur in matutinis : sed

18 dicuntur o(mn)ia ad longum sicut sunt notata . [line filler]

19

Item ad laudes et per om(n)es horas diei (et) ad

20 vesperas et ad co(m)pletorium dicuntur antiphone

21 que sequunt(ur) : q(uia) loco illius antiphone Assumpta

22 est . dicitur hec antiphona O admirabile co(m)mer-

23 cium creator generis humani animatu(m) corpus

24 sume(n)s de virgine nasci dignatus est (et) p(re)cedens

25 homo sine semine largit(us) est nobis sua(m) deitate(m) .

26 p(salmu)s . D(omi)n(u)s regnavit . ut supra . an(tiphona) . Quando na-

27 tus es ineffabiliter ex virgine maria tu(n)c imple-

28 te sunt scripture sicut pluvia in vellus descendi-

Recto panels:

Side top panel showing Christ blessing:

Crucifixus │ p(ro) nobis .

Side second panel showing Abraham and Isaac:

Et baiulans si- │ bi crucem exivit │ in eum qui dicit(ur)

Side third panel showing Christ carrying the Cross:

calvarie locum . │ hebraice golgo- │ ta . Iohan . xix . [John 19:17

Side fourth panel showing two people talking.

Bottom three panels showing a floral pattern and two astrologers:

Tulit q(uo)q(ue) │ ligna ho- │ locausti : (et) │ imposuit │ sup(er) ysaac │ Gene . xxii [Genesis 22:6

Verso panels:

Side top panel showing God blessing:

Ego sum al- │ pha (et) o (et) c(etera) . [ ‘o’ for ‘omega’

Side second panel showing Moses talking to men:

Baptizatus au- │ tem iesus confe- │ stim ascendit de

Side third panel showing Christ being baptised:

aqua : et ecce ap(er)- │ ti sunt ei celi (et ) vi- │ dit spi(ritum) . Mat . iii . [Matthew 3:16

Side fourth panel showing two men carrying a large bunch of grapes.

Bottom three panels showing three wise men:

Absco(n)de- │ runt pal- │ mitem cu(n)- │ vua sua : │ quem por- │ taverunt . │ Nu(m)e . xiii .

[Numbers 13:24

Notes for main text:

A Printed letters: a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u/v,x,y,A,B,C,D,E,H,I,K,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,U/V.

Painted versals:

,D.

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

C Abbreviation of ‘ue’ in ‘usque’ (verso, line 11).

D Abbreviation of ‘us’, e.g. in ‘Hymnus’ (recto, line 1).

E Use of Tironian ‘et’ for ‘et cetera’ etc.

Notes for side panels:

H The font, base on a Textualis Formata script, is different from that used in the main text.

I Printed letters: a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u,v,x,y,z,A,B,C,E,G,I,N,M,T.

J Some letters have alternative forms.

MS 5650/64

MS 87

Latin

1 leaf

Material: Vellum leaf

Among the early French printers was Antoine Vérard, who began printing in 1485. Vérard was the first to print a Book of Hours and his work set a standard of elegance for French book production with illustrated and heavily ornamented pages bound in deluxe editions. It is estimated that Vérard published more than two hundred of these editions in a little more than twenty-five years, beginning in 1485.

The typefaces used by Caxton were all varieties of ?black letter? or ?gothic? type. His earlier works were set in an early form of French lettre bâtarde. By 1490, he had acquired a more round and open typeface, a textura originally used by Antoine Vérard and later favoured by Caxton's successor, Wynkyn de Worde.

Vérard was the most prolific publisher of Horae in Paris. The genre had certain definite, if unspoken, rules. They were to always be visually attractive, ownership was considered a pious act, and they were conservative in appearance, closely based upon manuscript editions, and normally printed on vellum. The use of decorative borders was requisite, as was the type strongly reflecting manuscript calligraphy.

King Henry VII purchased many printed books from Antoine Vérard, as did a number of other patrons with French royal connections.