Leaf from a Book of Hours, in Latin, printed by Thielman Kerver, produced in France...

MS 5650/75

Leaf from a Book of Hours, in Latin, printed by Thielman Kerver, produced in France (Paris)

c.1506

Text: From a Book of Hours, in Latin

Font: Font based on a Humanist script

Printer: Thielman Kerver

The text is from the Hours of the Virgin (Terce), Use of Rome, with the full-page panel on the recto depicting The Annunciation to the Shepherds. On the verso is the hymn “Memento salutis auctor” and part of Psalm 119.

The font is a Gothic black and red ‘humanist’ typeface. Hand-illuminated with initials and paragraph markers in gold, on grounds of blue and/or magenta; rubrics in red. The decorative borders, the panelled surrounds, are historiated or inhabited and are in the style of the Master of Anne de Bretagne, and show scenes with Christ or Job and flowers, lions and an unusual bird with a long tongue. In the verso border texts are in a red ‘gothic’ typeface.

In purpose and format, printed Books of Hours followed the older manuscript examples. The more luxurious were printed on vellum, as is this leaf. The leaf was once in the collection of Alexander Peckover, Baron Wisbech.

English translation of the hymn “Memento salutis auctor”:

Be mindful author of our health,

That thou sometime didst take on thee

Of a pure virgin being born,

The form of our humanity.

Mary that mother art of grace,

Of mercy mother also art,

Save and defend us from our foe,

Receive us when we hence depart.

Glory be unto thee O Lord,

That born was of the virgin pure,

With the father and the holy Ghost,

All ages ever to endure. Amen.

Recto side:

(Large print of the Annunciation to the Shepherds)

1 D Eus in adiutoriu(m) meu(m) in-

2 te(n)de D (omi)ne ad adiuvan-

Verso side:

1 du(m) me festina . G loria p(at)ri . Hymnus

2 M Emento salutis auctor q(uod) n(ost)ri

3 quo(n)da(m) corp(or)is ex illibata v(ir)gi-

4 ne nasce(n)do forma(m) sumpseris . M aria

5 m(ate)r gr(ati)e m(ate)r mi(sericordi)e tu nos ab hoste p(ro)tege

6 et hora mortis suscipe . G l(or)ia tibi d(omi)ne

7 q(ui) nat(us) es de v(ir)gine cu(m) p(at)re (et) s(an)cto sp(irit)u in

8 se(m)piterna s(e)c(u)la . Ame(n) . an(tiphona) Maria v(ir)go . . ps(almus)

9 [119:1] A D dominu(m) cu(m) tribularer cla-

10 mavi : (et) exaudivit me . [119:2] D o-

11 mine libera animam mea(m) a labiis ini-

12 quis : et a lingua dolosa . [119:3] Q uid det(ur) ti-

13 bi aut q(ui)d apponat(ur) tibi : ad lingua(m) do-

14 losam . [119:4] S agitte pote(n)tis acute : cu(m) car-

15 bonib(us) desolatoriis . [119:5] H eu michi q(ui)a i(n)-

16 colat(us) me(us) p(ro)lo(n)gat(us) est / habitavi cum

17 habitati(oni)b(us) cedar : [119:6] multu(m) i(n)cola fuit a(n)i(m)a

18 mea . [119:7] C um his q(ui) oderu(n)t pace(m) era(m) pa-

19 cificus : cum loquebar illis inpugna-

20 bant me gratis . G loria patri .

ps(almus) [paragraph sign

21 L Evavi oculos meos in mon-

22 tes : unde veniet auxilium mi-

Recto side panels:

Left top:

1 Dimisit illis

2 barraba(m) : iesu(m)

3 aut(em) flagellatu(m)

Left bottom:

1 tradidit eis ut

2 crucifigere(n)t .

3 Matthei . 27

Bottom upper:

1 Supra dorsum me-

2 um fabricaverunt

3 peccatores . David

Bottom lower:

1 Sathan percu[ssit] [It seems the printing did not take.

2 iob ulcere pessimo

3 Iob secundo capi .

Notes:

A Letters (main text): a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u/v,x,y,A,D,E,H,M.

Versals (main text): A,C,D,G,H,L,M,Q,S.

B Letters (side panels): a,b,c,d,e,f,g,i,l,m,n,o,p,r,s,t,u/v,D,I,M,S.

C Alternative forms of the letters ‘d’(2), ‘r’(2) (side panel only) and ‘s’(2). The form of ‘d’

without an ascender is unusual and is like a small capital ‘D’.

D Ligature of ‘ct’ in ‘auctor’ (verso, line 2).

E Ligature of ‘st’ in ‘hoste’ (verso, line 5).

F Use of ‘&’ for ‘et’ (verso, lines 7 and 10).

G Abbreviations as would be found on a manuscript, e.g. ‘us’ and so on.

H All instances of ‘i’, apart from where there is an insertion indicated, have a diacritic dash.

I Lines in brown ink drawn under text lines to simulate a real manuscript.

J A slight defect in the vellum has caused the printing ink not to take near the top fore edge.

MS 75

Latin

1 leaf

Material: Vellum leaf