A DUTCH BOOK OF HOURS FOR USE OF ROME LATE 15TH CENTURY, il...

Hammer

€12,000

A DUTCH BOOK OF HOURS FOR USE OF ROME LATE 15TH CENTURY, illuminated manuscript on vellum (tempera, ink and gold), Latin and Dutch; Gothic textura script, one column ruled for 19 lines; 455 pgs. 6.6cm x 11cm ; Three fully illustrated pages, 6 title pages, 27 pages of illuminated borders etc.; tissue interleaves face the full page illustration; 18th century leather binding, inscribed with 'Roomsch Getijde Boek’ to spine (Roman Book of Hours). Incomplete, pages cut out Provenance: Private Dutch Collection ***Please note: Page measurement should read ' The core text of a Book of Hours is a series of prayers, readings and psalms known as 'The Hours of the Virgin. These prayers were to be recited daily at eight set 'hours' to Mary, the Mother of God, who would act as an intercessor between man and God. Such devotions were a simplified imitation of the Divine Office, said by members of the clergy and monastic orders every day in the quest for salvation. The ‘Use of Rome’ refers to a book of hours intended for the use of Rome specifically, this will differ from a book of hours made for the use of Paris, or Utrecht, or Sarum (Salisbury). These differences might be reflected in the order and wording of certain prayers or the veneration of local saints or religious events. Entire cycles of prayer could also be added or excluded based on personal preference, as could a variety of additional texts. Other differences between books of hours arose from the need to accommodate the diversity of regional worship. Within the medieval church, certain aspects of the liturgy were determined, to at least some degree, by local custom, and individual books of hours were made to reflect these variations. The book opens with the twelve months of the year, divided into the specific saint days. The first illuminated leaf features the private scene of the annunciation, as Virgin Mary is kneeling to pray in her chamber when Archangel Gabriel appears to her. He announces that she will conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit. Above the angles head is a white dove, the physical manifestation of the Holy Spirit, with gold rays which are pointing directly at Virgin Mary. Archangel Gabriel also points to Mary using his herald’s wand, which is terminated in a fleur-de-lys, the ancient symbol of royalty. The frame of the scene features several flowers and insects. The blue flowers are possibly Gentian blue which are native primarily to northern temperate areas of the world, especially alpine regions. The red flower is most likely a potted Carnation. The symbolism of the carnation is identical with that of the rose, in the Netherland and Germany carnations were preferred over roses. The carnation was, therefore, seen as a flower of love and the goddess Venus, however, as adapted by Christians, the carnation was a symbol of the divine love of God. The strawberry as a symbol is not only widespread but relatively early in origin. It is seen as the perfect fruit as it has no thorns nor stone and it is sweet in taste. The white flowers are seen to represent innocence and the leaves which are of trefoil form, were seen as a symbol of perfect righteousness. The illumination also features two moths or butterflies as well as a snail. Butterflies and flies were symbols for the soul and eternal life. It was common in the Netherlands for the scene of the Annunciation to feature insects. It is interesting to note that this illumination does not feature a white lily. Almost all scenes of the Annunciation included them, often known as the Madonna lily, as it is a symbol of her purity and perfection, both carnal and spiritual. The second illuminated leaf is a depiction of the episode from the life of the Virgin Mary. She is presented seated figure, presumably holding the new testament in her lap, with the old testament lying at her feet. The scene is set within a gothic architectural courtyard. The Holy Spirit once again appears in the form of a white dove, with rays of gold radiating down on the twelve apostles and Mary. In the Acts, it is described that after Jesus ascended to heaven, the Apostles waited in the Holy City for the sending of the promised Consoler, united around the Virgin Mary. Following the betrayal by Judas Iscariot, the decision was made to have Matthias take his place. Once the twelve apostles were complete again, they continued praying while awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit as Jesus had promised them. Finally, on the day of Pentecost, suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:2-4). Once again, the scene is framed by botanical illuminations, this time the flax flower, and a variety of irises. The iris flower is the only symbolic rival to the white lily of the Virgin, and its first appearance as a religious symbol is in the work of the early Flemish masters. The symbolism of the iris and the lily at first appears to be identical, and the substitution of the iris for the lily seems to be the result of some confusion between ‘lys’ and ‘fleur-de-lys,’ accentuated by the likeness between the iris and the lilies of the French royal standard with which the people of the Netherlands were familiar, since they were emblazoned on the shield of the Dukes of Burgundy. In the Netherlands, in the fifteenth century, symbolism was usually very precise, and there does seem to be a slight difference in the use of the two. The lily is used exclusively as the symbol of virginal purity, more particularly in relation to the fact that the Virgin Mary was a mother, but the iris, the royal lily, appears to be the emblem or attribute of God incarnate. Interestingly, the pea is also featured which was a symbol humility as it was considered a humble plant that grew toward heaven. As it produced many fruits it represented the virtue of holy works. In direct contrast, it could also be seen as a symbol of instability and the danger of sin, because it has heavy foliage and a frail stem which often needed further support. The illumination also features a prominent dragonfly and a peacock. Earthly life, which was full of sin, was often represented by crawling insects such as beetles, caterpillars, and locusts, whereas life in the heaven was represented by flying insects such as butterflies, moths, dragonflies, and damselflies. Dragonflies were therefore used as a religious symbol of the eternal life of the soul. Beginning in Early Christianity, peacocks symbolized the opportunity for an eternal life in heaven enabled by Christ’s sacrificial death. Illustrations of peacocks were so frequent and widespread in Christian art. The last full-page illumination features the uncommon scene known as the Metterza. The term is derived from the medieval vernacular me is third, referring to Saint Anna, mother of the Virgin Mary, who places herself third in the hierarchy of the divine family, next to Mary and Jesus. This scene was popular in Germany since the 14th century, and later the term and its iconography spread throughout Italy and Northern Europe in the 15th century. Hence the three figures in this illustration are St Anne, the mother of Mary, Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. The figure of St Anne is seated on a large wooden throne, at her feet sits Virgin Mary with baby Jesus lying in her arms. The background also features a peacock along with a characteristic pink sandstone wall and turret. The frame around the scene features flowers such as gentians, irises, flax and most importantly roses. The insects featured are moths and flies. As mentioned above, symbolically the rose was seen to represent the divine love of God.