WONDERFUL ITALIAN BOOK OF HOURS, 19 ILLUMINATIONS
A tasteful masterwork by a follower of Mariano del Buono, in a delicious silk embroidered case

[Renaissance Book of Hours]. Italian illuminated manuscript on vellum. Book of hours at the use of Rome. [Italy, Tuscany (probably Florence), ca. 1450].

8vo (120x90 mm), 19th century Ffull buckram binding in Romantic style with gilt and blind arabesque toolings at covers and spine, gilt dentelles, pink silk bookmark, silk embroidered fabric case, marbled box.

Justification: 70x52 mm. Leaves [210] = pp. 420, in quires of 10. Text in a column of 13 lines, in Italian Gothic letter. Illuminated initials in gold and infills on blue. Lacking the blank leaf after f. 91. At leaf 210r explicit: Ora pro scriptore.

19 ILLUMINATIONS IN BURNISHED GOLD AND COLOURS: 5 LARGE ILLUMINATIONS: THREE LARGE INHABITED ILLUMINATIONS, REPRESENTING THE VIRGIN AND THE CHILD, THE DEATH AND KING DAVID, AND TWO ILLUMINATED CAPITALS WITH THE SAME DIMENSIONS REPRESENTING THE CROSS ON MOUNT CALVARY AND THE HOLY CROSS IN BURNISHED GOLD BEFORE THE SKY.

14 SMALLER FLORAL ILLUMINATED HEADLETTERS: ALL THE LETTERS AND EXTENSIONS ARE COLOURED IN BLUE, PINK, GREEN AND GOLD.

DECORATIONS: MANY OTHER RUBRICATED LETTERS WITH RED AND BLUE INFILLS AND EXTENSIONS.

Scarce Renaissance Italian «Book of Hours» at the use of Rome. realized in a refined atelier by a follower of Mariano Del Buono. All the Italian Book of Hours are rare, being the production specially concentrated in France.

CONTENT: The text begins with the liturgic devotional to the Blessed Virgin Mary, i.e. the Hours of the Virgin (f. 1r Matins, f. 13v Lauds, f. 31r Prime, f. 37v Terce, f. 43v Sext, f. 49v None, f. 55v Vespers, f. 66r Compline and closing prayers), continues with the Office for the Dead (f. 92r Vespers, f. 102r Matins), the Penitential Psalms and the Litany of the Saints (f. 140r). Then there are the Office of the Cross (f. 172r Matins, f. 182r Lauds, f. 186v Prime, f. 189r Terce, f. 192r Sext, f. 195r None, f. 198r Vespers, f. 201r Compline) and the Hours of the Cross (f. 209v Prime, f. 209v Terce, f. 210r Sext, f. 210v None, f. 211r Vespers, f. 211v Compline) closing the book.

ILLUMINATIONS: At leaf 1r, THE FIRST LARGE ILLUMINATION WITH THE Virgin and Child inserted in a 8 lines capital D on light blue background; the whole page is surrounded by a rich border, decorated with polychromatic phytomorphic motifs in blue, red, yellow, green and gold and figures of animals. Here, the Holy Virgin has been represented at the beginning of the liturgic devotional dedicated to her, a weekly cycle of psalms, hymns and scriptures in imitation of the Divine Office of the Roman Church that is also called The Little Office of Our Lady.

At leaves 14v, 31v, 37 v, 43r, 49v, 55v, 65 r, THE FIRST CYCLE OF SEVEN ILLUMINATED FLORAL INITIALS on 4 or 5 lines in gold, blue, red, pink and green, with linear and phytomorphic infills and marginal extensions.

At leaf 92r, at the opening of the Office for the Deads, THE SECOND LARGE ILLUMINATION REPRESENTING THE Death in form of a Skeleton with a silver Sickle is depicted inside an 8 lines capital D, with extensions along the inner margin in blue, green pink and gold. The skeleton carries the traditional scythe and stands up behind a Renaissance marble balustrade.

At leaf 143r, THE THIRD LARGE ILLUMINATION, A INHABITED INITIAL with green, pink, blue and gold extensions along the inner margin DEPICTING King David ON A LIGHT BLUE BACKGROUND. This wonderful illumination of King David, according to his traditional iconography, is represented WHILE PLAYING A HARP due to the belief that wants him the author of the Psalms.

At leaf 172r, 7 lines capital D containing THE FOURTH LARGE ILLUMINATION REPRESENTING THE Cross on Mount Calvary ON A BLUE SKY BACKGROUND. The marginal extensions, laying along the inner margin of the page, are made up of phytomorphic elements coloured in green, blue, pink and gold.

At leaves 182r, 186v, 189r, 192r, 195r, 198r and 201r, THE SECOND CYCLE OF SEVEN ILLUMINATED FLORAL INITIALS on 4 or 5 lines, illuminated in gold, blue, red, and green and rubricated with infills on blue, green and gold.

At leaf 205, THE FIFTH LARGE ILLUMINATION CONTAINING THE Holy Cross, DEPICTED IN GOLD ON BLUE BACKGROUND, at the beginning of the Hours of the Cross. As for the previous illuminations, the marginal extensions are coloured in blue, green, pink and gold.

Many rubricated initials in red and blue, with infills and marginal extensions ruled in the opposite colour.

Provenance: The provenance of the book from a central town of Italy, presumably from Florence (Tuscany), and the typical sequence of antiphons and the chapters of the Office of the Virgin make it possible to identify this book of hours with the use of Roman Catholic Church.

References: A representation of King David very similar to the one of this book of hours’ illumination is Lorenzo Monaco’s one, to be seen at this link: http://www.aug.edu/augusta/iconography/david.html

Excellent.

Note: THE MANUSCRIPT ALREADY HAS THE EXPORT LICENSE. Other photos are available on request. By appointment, it is also possible to see and browse this lot via skype.