Skip to main content

Breviary: MS McClean 38

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Breviary

Entities

Categories

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, ii paper flyleaves + i medieval parchment flyleaf (foliated i) + 6 Calendar leaves (foliated ii – vi) + 311 fols. + i medieval parchment flyleaf (foliated 312) + i paper flyleaf, 172 x 122 (116 x 74) mm, 2 columns, 26 lines, ruled in black ink, catchwords, musical notation on four-line staves ruled in black ink.

BINDING: sixteenth century, blind-stamped brown leather over wooden boards, sewn on 5 supports, central panel on upper cover with Christ standing, holding orb and blessing, with cross on his shoulder and devil at his feet, above and below panel P[AR]S HYEMA[LIS] 1577, on lower cover Sacrifice of Isaac with inscription DEUS TEMPTAVIT ABR[AHAM], border of roll ornaments, IUDIDIT (sic), EVA with a scull, IUSTITIA, Virgin and Child, one leather strap with meatal clasp (out of original three) on lower cover, one metal catchplate (out of original three) on upper cover.

CONTENTS: fols. ii – vii Calendar; fols. 1r – 95v Psalter with Antiphons; fols. 95v – 105r Canticles; fols. 105r – 106v Litany; fols. 107r – 120r Hymnal; fols. 120r – 126v Prayers and Collects; fols. 129r – 311r Temporal ending with Easter Eve.

DECORATION: Seventeen historiated initials [5 – 7 ll.] in white-patterned blue and pink with figures set against burnished gold grounds, and partial bar borders terminating in foliage and inhabited by animals, birds, and grotesques, at major text divisions: fol. 2r Psalm 1, [B, 6 ll.] David enthroned and playing harp; fol. 15v Psalm 26, [D, 6 ll.] man standing and pointing to eye; fol. 24v Psalm 38, [D, 6 ll.] man walking with staff over his shoulder; fol. 32v Psalm 51, [Q, 5 ll.] David seated holding sword and orb; fol. 33v Psalm 52, [D, 6 ll.] Fool with club eating cake; fol. 42r Psalm 68, [S, 6 ll.] Christ holding orb and blessing above David in water; fol. 52v Psalm 80, [E, 6 ll.] David playing bells; fol. 62v Psalm 97, [C, 6 ll.] two clerics singing at lectern; fol. 63v Psalm 101, [D, 5 ll.] cleric kneeling before altar; fol. 72v Psalm 109, [D, 6 ll.] Christ seated, holding orb and blessing; fol. 107r Hymnal, [O, 6 ll.] Throne of Mercy Trinity; fol. 109r Hymn for Advent, [C, 4 ll.] Christ as Logos and Creator; fol. 116v Hymn for All Saints, [I, 10 ll.] Christ with saints; fol. 117r Hymn for the Common of apostles, [E, 4 ll.] three apostles; fol. 129r Temporal, [E, 7 ll.] seated prophet with blank scroll; fol. 162v Christmas, [P, 7 ll.] Nativity; fol. 190r Epiphany, [S, 6 ll.] Adoration of the Magi.

ORNAMENTATION: Blue or pink white-patterned initials [3 ll.] filled with foliage, animals or human heads on gold grounds and extensions supporting or terminating in animals, birds, hybrids and foliage; alternate gold and blue initials [1 – 2 ll.] with violet or red pen-flourished infill and extensions, and gold and blue baguettes.

Notes

History note: Edwin Henry Lawrence; his sale, Sotheby’s, London, 9 – 12 May 1892, lot 537; purchased by Frank McClean (1837 – 1904); his bequest, 1904

Place(s) associated

  • Cologne ⪼ Germany

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1904) by McClean, Frank

Dating

14th Century, first half#
Circa 1322 CE - Circa 1340 CE

People, subjects and objects depicted

Project

  • Cambridge Illuminated

Materials used in production

Gold

Components of the work

Support composed of parchment

Techniques used in production

Penwork
Illumination

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: MS McClean 38
Primary reference Number: 170703
Project ID: 17
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 30 October 2023 Last processed: Thursday 7 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Manuscripts and Printed Books

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Breviary" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/170703 Accessed: 2024-11-22 00:07:16

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/170703 |title=Breviary |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-22 00:07:16|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-170703

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...