Bourges, n.d. [circa 1490].
8vo [174 x 117 mm] of (170) ll. on vellum. 14 large miniatures, 10 small. A few scratches to the miniatures. Red morocco, important decor of gilt fillets and fleurons on the covers, spine ribbed and decorated with gilt fillets and fleurons, inner frame of the same skin decorated with gilt borders, endleaves in vermilion fabric, gilt edges. L. Peeters. Boekb. Antw.
Precious book of Hours on vellum, with wide margins, illustrated with 24 miniatures attributed to the Master of Spencer 6 and to Jean de Montluçon.
Handwritten text in black and red ink on a column of 17 (calendar) and 14 long lines per page. Headings, small capitals and end-of-lines in blue, red and black with highlights of yellow. Many gilt initials on a deep red background. Rules in purple ink.
Composition:
– l. 1 bl.
– Calendar, complete (l. 2r-13v), notably including Saint William, Bishop of Bourges (January 10, with red ink), Saint Lunair, Bishop in Brittany (July1st), the translation of Saint Martin, Bishop of Tours (July 4), Saint Gilles, Abbot (September 1st), Saint Maurilius, Bishop of Angers (September 13), Saint Maurice of Agaunum (September 21), Saint Hubertus, Bishop of Liège (November 4)
– Pericopes of the four Gospels (l. 13r-21r)
– Hours of the Virgin, for the use of Bourges (l. 22r-83v)
– “Oratio de beata Maria” : “Salve Regina”, “Ave Regina cælorum”, “Regina cæli lætare”, “Interveniat pro nobis” (l. 83v-85r)
– l. 86 bl.
– Psalms of penance, followed by litanies, with Saint Privat martyr, Saint Lauriane (worship in Bourges), Saint Ursin Bishop of Bourges, Saint William Bishop of Bourges, Saint Austrégésile Bishop of Bourges, Saint Radegonde Queen of France, etc. (l. 87r-108r)
– Hours of the Cross then of the Holy Spirit (l. 109r-116v)
– Liturgy of deaths, for the use of Bourges (117r-151r)
– “Obsecro te” (l. 151v-155v)
– Suffrages to Saint John the Baptist, Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Sebastian, Saint Ann, Saint Nicholas, Saint Claude, Saint Roch, Saint Madeleine, Saint Catherine, Saint Margaret and Saint Barbara (l. 155v-165r)
– “Stabat Mater” (l. 165v-168r)
– l. 169 and 170 bl.
Our manuscript is illustrated with 14 large miniatures arched in framings with a polychrome decor of semi-lobes, bands, rhombuses, arabesques, leaves and flowers, highlighted with gold:
– Saint John the Evangelist on the island of Patmos (l. 14r)
– the Annunciation (l. 22r)
– the Visitation (l. 43v)
– the Nativity (l. 58r)
– the Announcement to the Shepherds (l. 64v)
– the Adoration of the Magi (l. 68v)
– the Presentation in the Temple (l. 72r)
– the Flight to Egypt (l. 75v)
– Madonna and Christ (l. 79r)
– David in prayer (l. 87r)
– the Crucifixion (l. 109r)
– the Holy Spirit descending on the Virgin and the Apostles (l. 113r)
– Job on a pile of manure (l. 117r)
– the Virgin and the Child (l. 151v).
It also contains 10 small square or rectangular miniatures inserted within the text, representing saints: Luke (l. 16r), Matthew (l. 18r), Mark (l. 20r), Nicholas (l. 158v), Claude (l. 159r), Roch (l. 160v), Madeleine (l. 161v), Catherine (l. 162v), Margareth (l. 163r) and Barbara (l. 164r).
The miniatures of the leaves 16r, 18r, 20r, 43v, 58r, 64v, 68v, 72r, 75v, 79r, 151v, 160v, 161v, 162v, 163r and 164r can be attributed to the Master of Spencer 6, active in Bourges between 1490 and 1510.
The other 8 are likely due to Jean de Montluçon, active in Bourges at the same period.
We know that the Master of Spencer 6 and Jean de Montluçon, both influenced by Jean Colombe, the finisher of the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, collaborated several times to illuminate books of hours (see in particular the Ms 5141 of the Lyons Municipal Library).
Binding of Laurent Peeters, working in Antwerp.
Provenance: Eymar de Vesc, episcopus[m] de Agata, 1480 (handwritten ex-libris on the l. 1r); we know a Aymar de Vesc, Bishop of Vence from 1494 to 1507, following his brother John who was Bishop of Vence from 1491 to 1494 then of Agde [Agata] from 1494 to 1525; Gabriel Fiorelli a Salien a Droma (handwritten ex-libris l. 1r covering another handwritten ex-libris partially erased); Jacques Seguhet in Grignan in 1764 (handwritten ex-libris on l. 170v); Ernest Périer (annotation; auction in Brussels, 29 mars 1946, n° 519), sold 24 000 Fr., very high price.
Bibliography: J. Plummer, The last flowering: French Painting in Manuscripts 1420-1530 from American collections, 1982; F. Avril and N. Reynaud, Les manuscrits à peinture en France, 1440-1520, 1993, pp. 338-346; K. Airaksinen-Monier, Vision and devotion in Bourges around 1500 : An Illuminator and His World, 2014.
