Book of Hours

Use of Paris) In French and Latin, illuminated manuscript, on parchment France, Paris, c. 1400-1410 15 large miniatures by the Master of the Bible Historiale MS fr. 159 (as described by Les Enluminures) This beautifully executed and unusual Parisian Book of Hours was painted at the time of the Duke of Berry. The "realism" seen in the illuminations represents a special moment in Parisian art, one exemplifying its northern origins. The miniatures are attributed to one of the artists responsible for theBible Historialealso referred to as the Master of the Bible Historiale fr. 159 (Paris, BnF MS fr. 159). The female patron who ordered the book appears twice in the miniatures. 224 folios, mostly in gatherings of 8 (i12), complete, pastedowns and two flyleaves at front and back, some catchwords, written in a dark brown ink in a gothic liturgical script, on 14 long lines, by different hands, ff. 82-82v and ff. 219v-223v written by a slightly posterior hand, ruled in light red ink (justification, 62 x 85 mm), rubrics in red both in French and Latin, versals in burnished gold on alternating pink and blue grounds with pink or blue infill and white tracery, line endings pink and blue with burnished goldleaf discs and white tracery infill, 2-line initials in pink or blue with white tracery on burnished gold grounds with ivyleaves extending in the margins and infill, one 3-line initial at the beginning of the Hours of the Virgin, pink with white tracery, burnished gold and ivyleaf infill on a blue ground 3-line initials marking the start of the main texts, pink or blue with white tracery on highly burnished gold grounds with ivyleaf infill, one 4-line letter I, traced in pink and white with ivyleaf infill on a burnished gold ground richly decorated borders with extending baguettes (foliate pattern on burnished gold grounds) and dense ivyleaves in borders, 15 LARGE MINIATURES, at the beginning of the main texts, in excellent condition. Nineteenth-century dark brown morocco binding over pasteboards, frame of two gilt fillets on covers, smooth spine, cropped edges affecting very slightly the border decoration at the top edge, never affecting text or illuminations, in clamshell box. Dimensions 161 x 116 mm. PROVENANCE: 1. Liturgical use and calendar secure a place of origin in Paris. Probably made for the woman patron who appears kneeling on fol.110 and 185. 2. Isydort Bernardon and Marthe Galberict, first front fly-leaf. Second front flyleaf reads as follows: "Isydort Bernardon Bon Compaion qui esmeMonsieur."(Last word is difficult to read); XVIIth century. 3. Du Buisson and Marchand families, eighteenth-century notes on family history and marks of ownership (1716 and 1717), back pastedown and fly-leaves: "Ces presentes heures sont tenues de defunst Charles du Buisont (.) Seigneur de Lublataris demerant a St Michel." ; "Ces presentes heures appartiennent a moy Gabriel Marchand. Je prie ceux et celle quy les trouveront de me les rendre. Je les reconpanseré (sic) de leurs payne fait a St Michel le traize jour de fevrier 1716",signedMarchand; "Jeanne du Buisson fille de Charles du Buisson a espouzé Gabriel Marchand, 1717." The name "Despanage" with the date 1716 also appears on the first flyleaf. 4. Engraved ex-libris pasted on front pastedown, eighteenth-century. "M. Titon de Villotran, conseiller au Parlement". Jean-Baptiste Titon de Villotran is recorded as a "conseiller" in the Parlement de Paris (see Chesnaye-Desbois and Badier,Dictionnaire de la noblesse, vol. 19, Paris, 1876). 5. Les Enluminures/ Bruce Ferrini, Catalogue 9, Books of Hours, 2000, no. 1, hence Private Collection. TEXT: ff. 1-12, Calendar, red, blue and burnished gold, in French, with numerous Paris saints such as Genevieve (in gold), Germain, Landri, Marcel, Cloud; ff. 13-18, Gospel Sequences; ff. 18-18v, Various Prayers : "Protector in te"; "Ecclesiam tuam quesimus"; "Omnipotens sempiterne."; ff.19-22, Obsecro te; ff. 22v-26, O intemerata; ff. 26v-27, Prayer, "Deus qui nol.…