Dismembered Manuscripts Book of Hours - Use of Paris c.1465 Collecting fragments from eBay Sellers

	Page from the 15 Joys in French (f.202v) See Transcript below Private Collection

From the Contents
The general contents are listed in the Sotheby's catalogue (but without the position of the miniatures).
The following description will only be provided with transcripts of selected leaves, when they have special information to offer. Due to a large number of modern flyleaves has the manuscript subsequently been wrongly foliated in pencil following three different systems. Second last folio (f.213) is marked 219 in the top corner and 224 at the bottom corner. Since the position of the miniatures not was given in the Sotheby's catalogue in 1972 must the preliminary reconstruction go on with use of more or less arbitrary number sequences, until the gaps has been closed, and a correct numbering established. Around 75 of the 214 leaves are known, many are leaves with a few verses from the long psalms in the Office of the Dead. They are not all indicated here. A full reconstruction of predictable passages is not needed at present. Owners of single leaves are welcome to ask questions.

Sotheby's 10th July 1972
47 HOURS OF THE VIRGIN [Use of Paris] in Latin, preceded by a CALENDAR,
the GOSPEL Sequences and the 'Obsecro te' and followed by the Penitential Psalms
and Litany, the Hours of the Cross and the Holy Ghost, the Office of the Dead,
the 'Doulce Dame de misericorde', the 'Doulx Dieux Père sainte Trinite'
and memorials for saints, Illuminated Manuscript on Vellum, 214 ll. plus 10 flyleaves,
complete, gatherings mostly of 8 ll. with a few catchwords (i¹², vii-x⁹, xii⁴, xxv²),
14 lines, written in dark brown ink in a gothic liturgical hand, headings in red,
calendar entries in red, blue and gold, illuminated initials and line-fillings, 14 large
miniatures with full illuminated borders, 18 small miniatures, about 175 illuminated
borders in outer margins, somewhat soiled and rubbed, wide outer and lower margins
(decoration very slightly trimmed in a few upper margins), French seventeenth-century
red morocco gilt, spine defective, g.e.
(155 mm. by 114 mm.) [Paris, c.1465]

Provenance
(1) On the flyleaves at the beginning and end Henry le Clerc of Auxerre has recorded the births
and baptisms of his 13 children between 1549 and 1573. The baptisms took place at the
Premonstratensian church of Notre Dame la Dehors. The original entries, which are rubbed
and difficult to read (three of the leaves are slightly defective), have been copied onto more
recent vellum flyleaves.
(2) "Bibliothecae Dompmartinensis 1764" (note on f.1)

Decoration
This is a typical Paris Book of Hours, in the style of the Maitre de Jean Rollin II.
The subjects of the large miniatures, which are in arched compartments, are the Annunciation,
the Visitation, the Nativity, the Annunciation to the Shepherds, the Adoration of the Magi,
the Presentation in the Temple, the Flight into Egypt and the Coronation of the Virgin,
David in prayer, the Crucifixion, Pentecost, a Burial Service, the Virgin giving suck to the Child
and the Trinity.
The small miniatures are of the occupations of the months (in arched compartments set into the
borders of the twelve recto calendar pages) and of SS. Michael, John Baptist, Peter, Paul,
Sebastian and Fiacre (at the end). The decoration is of good quality and some of the borders
are fresh and clean but almost all the miniatures are to some extent rubbed.

(Sold to Van der Merkt, 600 Pound Sterlig) No other transactions are recorded for this manuscript in the Schoenberg Database.
2005-2006 Dismembered and sold as single leaves by E. Neumann-Walter in Leipzig. New foliations in pencil are also counting the modern flyleaves.