Leaf from a Book of Hours, in Latin, printed by Antoine Vérard, produced in France...

MS 5650/64

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 shows the suffrages to Saints Katherine, Margaret and Barbara.

The leaf has three fine hand-painted miniatures of the saints. 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. On two borders of each side are fine metalcut allegorical figures.

Panel borders are on all sides. There are two two-line versals, nine one-line versals and eleven line fillers. On the bottom edge of the recto is “B iii” to aid the binder.

This leaf is from the same Book of Hours as MS 5650/86 and MS 5650/87.

Recto side:

1 L Argire nobis clementissime pater q(ui) sicut

2 beata maria magdalena d(omi)n(u)m nostru(m) su-

3 per omnia diligendo suor(um) obtinuit veniam pec-

4 caminu(m) : ita nobis apud tua(m) misericordia(m) sempi-

5 ternam impetret beatitudinem . Per . [line filler]

6

De sancta Katherina an(tiphona) . [line filler]

7

Virgo sancta Katherina gre- [Miniature of St Katherine

8 cie gemma urbe alexandrina co-

9 sti regis erat filia . v(ers)(us) . Diffusa est

10 gratia in labiis tuis . R(esponsorium) . Propte-

11 rea benedixit te deus in eternum .

12

Oremus . [line filler]

13 D Eus qui dedisti lege(m) moy-

14 si in summitate mo(n)tis sinay : (et) in eodem loco cor-

15 pus beate katherine virginis et martyris tue p(er)

16 sanctos angelos tuos mirabiliter collocasti : tri-

17 bue quesumus : Ut eius meritis (et) intercessio(n)e ad

18 montem qui christus est valeamus pervenire .

19 Per .

20

De sancta margarete an(tiphona) . [line filler]

21

22

Virgo gloriosa christi marga- [Miniature of St Margaret

23 reta virginum gemma preciosissi-

24 ma virtute sup(er)nor(um) clara audi pre-

25 ces nostras cora(m) te fusas : fac nos

26 iungi eternali choro precibus ergo

27 tuis adesto calamitatib(us) nostris

28 quibus undiq(ue) premimur . v(ersus) . Ora

Verso side:

1 pro nobis beata margareta . R(esponsorium) Ut digni efficia-

2 mur p(ro)missionibus (christ)i .

Oremus .

3 D Eus qui beata(m) magareta(m) virgine(m) tua(m)

4 ad celos per martyrii palma(m) pervenire fe-

5 cisti : co(n)cede quesumus : ut eius exempla sectan-

6 tes ad te venire mereamur . Per . [line filler]

7

De sancta barbara an(tiphona) . [line filler]

8

Gaude barbara beata sum- [Miniature of St Barbara

9 me pollens in doctrina angeli mi-

10 sterio . Gaude virgo deo grata q(ue)

11 baptistam imitata es in vite sta-

12 dio . Gaude cu(m) te visitavit christ(us)

13 vita et curavit plagas actu pro-

14 prio . Gaude quia meruisti impe-

15 trare quod petisti dante dei filio . Gaude nanq(ue)

16 elevata es in celo et delata nobili martyrio . Te

17 laudantem familiam trahe post te ad gloria(m) fi-

18 nito exilio . v(ers)(us) . Ora pro nobis beata barbara . R(esponsorium) .

19 Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus christi .

20

Oremus . [line filler]

21 I Ntercessio quesumus domine beate bar-

22 bare virginis et martyris tue ab omni ad-

23 versitate nos protegat : ut per eius interventum

24 gloriosissimu(m) sacrosancti corporis et sanguinis

25 domini nostri iesu christi sacramentum ante die(m)

26 exitus nostri per veram penitentiam et puram

27 confessionem percipere mereamur . Qui cum pa-

28 tre et spiritu sancto vivis et reg . [line filler]

Notes:-

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

Versals:

,D,I,L.

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

C Abbreviation of ‘qui’ (recto, line 1).

D Abbreviation of ‘dominum’ (recto, line 2).

E Abbreviations for ‘rum’ in ‘suorum’ (recto, line 3).

F Use of Tironian ‘et’ (recto, line 14).

G Use of ‘xp’ for Greek chi-rho (χρ) in ‘christi’ (verso, line 2).

MS 5650/86

MS 64

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.