BOOK OF HOURS FOR THE USE OF THE CANONS CANONS OF WINDESHEIM, WITH HENRICUS SUSO, ONE HUNDRED MEDITATIONS ON THE PASSION OF CHRIST, AND OTHER PRAYERS Latin illuminated manuscript on vellum, Netherlands, diocese of Utrecht (Zwolle ?), 1470 - 1490. c. [iv + 152 + ii leaves] ; 100 x c. 67 mm ; Collation: 111(10+1), 2-98, 10-116, 128, 1314, 1410, 15-178, 189 (101).1 Some original signature notations in lower right corners. corners. Modern foliation in pencil in the upper right corners. - Written in dark brown ink with red headings in semi-Textualis Gothic semi-Textualis, capitals touched in red. - Hundreds of one-line initials in alternating blue and red capitals alternating; hundreds of 2 to 6-line initials in blue and red on red and blue watermarked lines extending into the margins in the margins; three illuminated initials of 6-8 lines in blue on a gold background, with foliate decoration in the body of the letters and red, antique pink and green foliate infills within solid borders; three historiated initials of 6-8 lines in blue on a gold background, in full borders; the borders consist of a rectangular outer frame in gold leaf, filled with gold bezants, on a parchment background with small brown brown dots in the shape of a "c", acanthus leaves in blue, gold and red, green vines with berries, grapes and flowers in gold flowers in gold, red, blue and brown. - Very slight wear and vignettes, slight brown spots (ff. 1-2, 10); very slight loss of gold at lower right corners of ff. 47, 82 and to the upper left-hand edge of f. 88; lower outer corner of the parchment lost on f. 85; the whole has been trimmed at the edges during binding, sometimes affecting the decoration; otherwise, the whole is generally generally in good, clean condition. - Bound in brown goatskin 19th or early 20th century, four-ribbed spine with gilt title, Leather showing signs of wear. This attractive book of personal prayers presents a fascinating compilation of devotional prayers, probably written for the members of a religious house linked to the Augustinian Canons Augustinian Canons Regular of Windesheim in the Netherlands. This religious house just outside Zwolle, was founded by followers of the Devotio Devotio moderna - a spiritual movement that originated in the Netherlands with Netherlands with Geert Groote (1340 - 1384), who founded the Brothers of the Common Life. This movement placed the emphasis on intense practices of personal devotion and encouraged the use of personal personal prayer books, such as the one we have before us. before us. A group of Groote's followers adopted the Rule of Augustine's Rule to found their house in Windesheim (1386), which the Protestant Reformation at the end of the 16th century. PROVENANCE Probably for a member of the Augustinian Canons Regular of Windesheim; A. Renaud, bookplate; Denmark, sale, 1935(?) : indicated by a press clipping attached to the book and coming from from an unidentified Danish sale which describes the book in question, with the pencil note "1935". TEXT - ff. 1-10v : Calendar, including many of the saints venerated in the diocese of Utrecht: SS. Ponciani (in red, 14 January), Lebuini (25 June), Benigni (28 June), Frederick, bishop of Utrecht (18 July), Werenfridi (14 August), Grégoire, Bishop of Utrecht (25 August), Willibrordi (in red, 7 November), Lubini (in red, 12 November), and Rabodi (29 November). It also includes special feasts for the Augustinians, including Monique the Widow (4 May), the Translation of Saint Augustine to Pavia, Italy (28 February), the Feast of Augustine (in red, 28 August), the Octave of Saint Augustine (4 September) and the Translation of the relics of Saint Augustine (11 October). - ff. 11r/v : blank. - ff. 12-46v: Hours of the Virgin Mary, customary of the Augustinian canons regular of Wildesheim: (f. 12) Matins ; (f. 22v) Lauds; (f. 28v) Prime; (f. 31) Tierce; (f. 33) Sext; (f. 35) None; (f. 37) Vespers; (f. 41v) Compline. - ff. 47-54: Seven psalms of penitence. - ff. 54-58v : Litany. - ff. 59-73v : Office of the Dead: (f. 59) Vespers; (60v) Matins; (70v) Lauds. - ff. 73v-76 : Various prayers to the deceased. - ff. 76-81v : Nine lessons. - ff. 82-86v : Hours of the Cross: (f. 82) Matins; (f. 83) Prime; (f. 83v) Terce; (f. 84v) Sext; (f. 85) None; (f. 85v) Vespers; (f. 86) Compline. - ff. 86v-87 : Antiphon on the Passion of the Lord (Dum fabricator mundi mortis supplicium...) - f. 87v: blank. - ff. 88-109v: Henricus Suso, One hundred meditations on the passion of Christ (Centii mediaciones passionis domini). The German mystic Henricus Suso (c. 1300 - 1366) wrote the Hundred Meditations (or Hundred Articles) in the form of short short prayers designed to arouse a spirit of devotion. Suso's mystical mystical and devotional literature inspired Geerte Groote and followers of the Devotio moderna and was particularly popular with nuns. The text of the Hundred Meditations were intended to be recited throughout the day or days of the week. of the week. - ff. 110-122 :Seven Latin hymns, incorrectly attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairveaux, with indulgences attributed to Pope Urban V (De sequenti oration bernardi te stribunt sic Urbanis papa quintus dedit duo decim milia trecentos Lxx dies indulgentiarum). - f. 122r/v : Prayer of Saint Gregory on the five wounds of Christ (Ave dextra manus...). - ff. 122v-123v : Seven prayers of Saint Gregory on the Passion (O Domine Jesu Christe, adoro te in cruce pendentem). - ff. 123v-125v : Seven devotional prayers by Pope Calixtus. - ff. 125v-126 : Prayer for indulgence of Pope John XII. - ff. 126v-127 : Prayer of Pope Boniface VIII. - ff. 127r/v: Prayer of Pope John II. - ff. 127v-132v : Prayers of Saint Ambrose. - ff. 132v-134 : Prayers to the Virgin Mary. - ff. 134v-135 : Prayers for the deceased. - ff. 135v-148v: Prayers to the Virgin Mary. - ff. 148v-152v : Suffrages to the Saints: (f. 148v) Holy Trinity (f. 149v) John the Baptist; John the Evangelist (f. 150) Peter; Stephen (f. 150v) Laurence; Erasmus (151) Augustine; Gregory; Francis; Katherine (f. 151v) Barbara (f. 152) Anne. ENLUMINATIONS Historiated initials: f. 12: Virgin and Child in an historiated initial of 8 lines: (D)omine labia, in full borders. - f. 47 : King David with his harp in a historiated initial of 7 lines: (D)omine labia, in full borders. - f. 59: A coffin in a historiated initial of 6 lines: (D)ilexi q[uonia]m exaudiet D[omi] n[u]s, in full borders. Illuminated initials: f. 82: Illuminated initial D over 6 lines, in full full borders: (D)omine labia. - f. 88, initial E illuminated on 9 lines, in full borders: (E)ya dei sapia. - f. 110, initial S illuminated over 8 lines, in full borders: (S)alve meu. This engaging prayer book was probably illuminated in Zwolle, where the book illumination industry was very active, creating sober books of hours for followers of the Devotio moderna, who wanted their own who wished to have their own devotional books. We important parallels in secondary decoration, as well as in the initials decoration, as well as in the historiated initials, in a group of of Book of Hours manuscripts produced in Zwolle around 1470 - 1490, known as the "Sarijs" group. A good example for comparison is a manuscript in the Royal Library in The Hague, Ms. 75 G 28, a book of hours from Zwolle, circa 1470, which shows great similarities in its initials. similarities in its decorated initials and border decoration. border decoration. The initials of both books are created on frames with a gold background, with cut-out decorations on the edges the edges, with blue letterforms elaborated on the inside with rolled acanthus leaves of a darker and lighter blue, as well as a as well as a similar border decoration with gold-leaf besants in gold leaf within a field of curving green vines and acanthus acanthus scrolls in blue, red and yellow, as well as smaller, more more geometric flowers budding within the frame. In the present work, the figures in two of the three historiated initials initials are simply represented with round heads, straight lines superimposed straight lines in red for the mouths, dark dots on semi circles for the eyes, and small, round, pink cheeks. cheeks. Their hair is brown and undefined, while their crowns their crowns and halos are clearly defined in a dark burgundy dark burgundy colour. The draperies are made up of thick blue, red blue, red, mauve and green geometric blocks. LITERATURE Unpublished. TO FIND OUT MORE Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books, Parchment and Gold, cat. 11, Stalden 2015, nos. 66, 68. Golden Age of Dutch Manuscript Painting, exhibition catalogue, New York 1989. Wierda, Lydia. De Sarijshandschriften: laat-middeleeuwse handschriften uit de Ijsselstreek, Zwolle, 1989. EXPERTS Cabinet Leprince - Dr. Erin K. Donovan