Hours: MS McClean 67

Titles

Hours

Maker(s)

Artist: Majorana, Cristoforo

Entities

• Book of hours
• Use of Rome

Categories

• Illuminated manuscript
• Manuscript

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, iii paper and parchment flyleaves + 233 fols. + iv parchment and paper flyleaves, 100 x 67 mm (54 x 39 mm), 14 long lines, ruled in black ink, catchwords, corrections, text overwritten where fading, leaf lost between fol. 113–114.

BINDING: Nineteenth century, gold-tooled vellum over wooden boards.

CONTENTS:
fols. 1r–12v Calendar
fols. 13r–14r Prayer of St Anselm, Domine deus meus si feci
fols. 15r–100r Hours of the Virgin
fols. 100v–104r Mass of the Virgin, Salve sancta parens
fols. 105r–109v Obsecro te
fols. 110r–113v Quicumque vult (later addition)
fols. 114r – 122v Long Hours of the Cross
fols. 123r–126v Prayer of Bede, Domine Iesu Christi qui septem verba
fols. 126v–128r Prayer O Iesu illumina oculos
fols. 128r–130r Prayer Qui habitat
fols. 130r–131r Prayer O Domine Iesu Christi fili dei uiui
fols. 132r–158r Penitential Psalms and Litany
fols. 160r–216r Office of the Dead
fols. 220r–231v Suffrages of Saints Francis, Anthony of Padua, Louis of Toulouse, Bernardino of Siena, Dominic, Jerome
fol. 233r-233v Prayer for protection during travel

DECORATION: Seven full-page framed miniatures for the Suffrages and the final prayer: fol. 220r St Francis receiving the Stigmata, brother Leo reading; fol. 222v St Anthony of Padua holding book and lily; fol. 224v St Louis of Toulouse holding book and blessing; fol. 226v St Bernardino of Siena with book and IHS monogram; fol. 228v St Dominic holding open book and lily; fol. 230v St Jerome penitent, with caption PECCAVI written in gold capitals beside his head and lion crouching at the foot of the Cross; fol. 232v Adoration of the Magi.

Sixteen historiated initials in graded pink, with acanthus extensions on gold grounds and one-sided floral and spraywork borders (except fol. 15r, fol. 132r and fol. 160r, full borders), including animals, birds, hybrids and putti: fol. 15r Office of the Virgin, Matins, [D, 9 ll.] Annunciation, with interlaced gold and blue bars framing the text space, and full floral and spraywork border, including partially erased and over-painted coat of arms, party per pale argent and sable, supported by two putti; fol. 52v Prime, [D, 7 ll.] Adoration of the Child; fol. 58r Terce, [D, 6 ll.] Adoration of the Magi; fol. 63v Sext, [D, 7 ll.] Resurrection, Christ in Glory above the tomb, soldiers sleeping beneath; fol. 68v None, [D, 5 ll.] Ascension; fol. 74r Vespers, [D, 7 ll.] Pentecost; fol. 83v Compline, [C, 6 ll.] Assumption of the Virgin; fol. 100v Mass of the Virgin, [S, 8 ll.] Visitation; fol. 115r Long Hours of the Cross, Prime, [D, 5 ll.] Pillar with rope and scourges; fol. 116v Terce, [D, 5 ll.] Vernicle; fol. 117v Sext, [D, 4 ll.] Three empty crosses; fol. 119r None, [D, 5 ll.] Cross with nails, lance and scourges; fol. 120v Vespers, [D, 5 ll.] Cross with ladder, lance and sponge; fol. 121v Compline, [C, 5 ll.] Holy Sepulchre; fol. 132r Penitential Psalms, [D, 9 ll.] David penitent, with interlaced gold and blue bars framing the text space, and full floral and spraywork border including putti and hybrids; fol. 160r Office of the Dead, [D, 9 ll.] Funeral service, with interlaced gold and blue bars framing the text space, and full floral and spraywork border including putti and hybrids.

ORNAMENTATION: Gold initials [2–3 ll.] with blue and mauve white-patterned infill and background; blue initials [2 ll.] with foliate pen flourishing; alternate gold and blue one-line initials with violet or red pen flourishing; Prayer of St Anselm written in gold ink on purple parchment (fols. 13r–14r).

Notes

History note: Made for a male patron named Jerome (Geronimo) in the Obsecro te prayer: Et michi famulo tuo Ieronimo (fol. 107v); partially erased and over-painted coat of arms, party per pale argent and sable (fol. 15r); acquired by Frank McClean (1837–1904) in 1892 probably in Rome (James 1912a, 136); his bequest, 1904.