Book of Hours: MS 52

Titles

Book of Hours

Maker(s)

Artist: Master of the Wingfield Hours

Entities

• Book of hours
• Use of Sarum

Categories

• Illuminated manuscript
• Manuscript

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, ii paper flyleaves + 128 fols. + iii paper flyleaves, 154 x 110 (88 x 59) mm, 18 long lines, ruled in dark pink ink, leaves lost between fols. 1 – 2, 30 – 31, 32 – 33, 56 – 57, 93 – 94, 100 – 101, 102 – 103, 127 – 128, Christ’s figure on fol. 1r has been pricked for pouncing

BINDING: 18th century, red leather over pasteboards, gold-tooled edge design, green inlaid leather centre with Sacred Monogram on upper cover and AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA on lower cover, green and orange endbands, edges gilt, silver clasps with armorial crest.

CONTENTS: fols. 1r – 2r Suffrages; fols. 2r – 2v Prayer Libera me domine
fols. 3r – 9v Fifteen Oes; fols. 10r – 32v Hours of the Virgin, with memoriae at Lauds and Hours of the Cross intermixed and mis-bound; fols. 33r – 37r Salve virgo virginum, with rhyming verses in Latin; fols. 37v – 39r O intemerata
fols. 39r – 41r Obsecro te; fols. 41v – 43r Ave mundi spes; fols. 44r – 46v Seven Joys of the Virgin; fols. 47r – 50r Prayers before the Crucifix, Ominbus consideratis; fols. 50r – 54v Bede’s Prayers on the Seven Last Words and other devotions to Christ; fols. 54v – 55r Indulgenced prayer of Philip of France, Domine ihesu christi qui hanc sacratissimam carnem; fols. 56r – 56v Hours of the Virgin and the Cross intermixed and mis-bound; fols. 57r – 71r Penitential Psalms and Litany; fols. 71v – 93v Office of the Dead; fols. 94r – 100v Hours of the Virgin and the Cross intermixed and mis-bound; fols. 101r – 110r Commendation of the soul; fols. 111r – 116r Psalms of the Passion; fols. 116r – 127v Psalter of St Jerome; fol. 128r Prayer O bone Ihesu, O dulcissime Jhesu (addition).

DECORATION: Sixteen large miniatures in arched frames with three-sided bar borders of geometric and foliate motifs, and full acanthus, floral and spraywork borders including animals, birds, and grotesques at major text divisions:
fol. 1r Suffrages, Noli me tangere, with pilgrim holding staff and rosary in border; fol. 3r Fifteen Oes, Christ standing and blessing with book inscribed ego sum via veritas vita, peacock in border; fol. 10r Hours of the Virgin, Matins, Annunciation; fol. 16v Lauds, Visitation; fol. 26r Vespers, Massacre of the Innocents, unicorn in border; fol. 27r Hours of the Cross, Vespers, Deposition with God the Father above, pelican-swan pecking breast (allusion to Pelican in her piety) in border; fol. 28r Hours of the Virgin, Compline, Flight into Egypt; fol. 32v None, Presentation in the Temple; fol. 47r Prayers before the Crucifix, Nailing to and Elevation of the Cross; fol. 57r Hours of the Cross, Terce, Flagellation; fol. 61v Office of the Dead, Funeral Servicel fol. 95v Hours of the Cross, Matins, Agony in the Garden; fol. 96v Hours of the Virgin, Prime, Adoration of the Child; fol. 100r Terce, Annunciation to the Shepherds; fol. 111r Psalms of the Passion, Christ as Man of Sorrows with Instruments of the Passion; fol. 117v Psalter of St Jerome, St Jerome in his study.

ORNAMENTATION: Blue or pink white-patterned initials [3 – 4 ll.] with foliage infill on gold grounds beneath or facing miniatures at major text divisions; blue, pink or orange white-patterned initials [2 – 3 ll.] with one-sided bar borders and two- or three-sided acanthus, floral and spraywork borders at lesser text divisions; gold one-line initials on pink and blue white-patterned grounds; pink and blue bar and floral linefillers with gold and white ornament.

Notes

History note: Late 17th century inscription: ‘This manuscript was originally brought from Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire’ (fol. ii verso); Richard, seventh viscount Fitzwilliam of Merrion (1745 – 1816), acquired in 1810; his bequest, 1816.