24th ILAB International Antiquarian Book Fair - Vereinigung der ...

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Giuseppe Solmi Studio Bibliografico
Giuseppe Solmi
Via Stradelli Guelfi, 2 ∙ 40064 Ozzano Emilia (BO), Italien
Telefon +39 (0)51 6511029 ∙ Fax +39 (0)51 796152
E-Mail: giuseppe.solmi@tin.it ∙ Internet: www.giuseppesolmi.it
Mittelalterliche Manuskripte ∙ Arabische Manuskripte
Book of Hours use of York. Illuminated manuscript
on vellum in french and latin, France,
probably Paris, dated Easter 1444. 131 leaves.
Written in brown ink with red titles, gothic
script, single column, 14 lines. Leaf 202 × 145
mm; written-space 90 × 65 mm. Collation: i-ii 6 ;
iii-iv 8 ; v 7 (lacking a leaf); vi 6 (lacking a leaf);
vii 5 (lacking a leaf); viii 2 (lacking two leaves); ix 5
(lacking a leaf); x 7 (lacking a leaf); xi 7 (lacking
a leaf); xii-xiii 8 ; xiv 6 ; xv 7 (lacking a leaf); xvi-
xviii 8 ; xix 10 ; xx 2 . 4 half page miniatures surrounded
by borders with flowers and fruits. 2 initials
on 4 lines with 3-sided borders. Many 1 and
2- line gold initials on red and blue ground with
extensions. Original blind-stamped binding,
back restored, lacking clasp. Very good conditions,
almost full margins. CHF 39 500.–
Text: f. 1 Calendar; f. 13 Extracts from Gospels; f.
19 O intemerata, Obsecro te ; f. 29 Office of the
Virgin; f. 71 Penitential Psalms and litany; f. 89
Office of the Dead; f. 124 Various prayers; f. 130
Exaude me domine (of another hand). Illustrations:
f. 56 Adoration of the Magi; f. 64v Coronation of the
Virgin; f. 70v Two araldic shields( later addition) ; f.
71 King David in prayer ; f. 127v S. Margaritha. – In
this Book of Hours, the Hours of the Virgin as well
as the Office of the Dead seem to belong to the Use
of York,(see CHD) but some Saints, such as St. Martino,
St. Brice and St. Gatiano, that are quoted in the
calendar, can be connected with Tours, a French
town. The manuscript is dated Easter 1444 at the
end of the calendar. This element clashes with the
style of the miniatures which is closer to the early
fifteenth century art. These miniatures are certainly
ascribed to the Boucicaut Master’s workshop that
he was running in Paris from 1403 to 1420–25. This
means that the workshop existed almost twenty years
before the date written on the manuscript. A
range of cold colours, especially the green, archaic
drawings of rocks, a windmill drawn in the miniature
that represents David, the burnished gold
background and the fan trained trees are elements
that suggest that the manuscript was made before
1430. – Boucicaut Master was the greatest artist in
Paris in early fifteenth century, and he significantly
influenced succeeding artists. His appellation refers
to his masterpiece called Book of Hours of the
marshal of France, Jean II Le Meingre de Boucicaut,
that was made between 1405 and 1408. Some scholars
believe that Boucicaut M. was Jacques Coene
who supervised the construction site of the Milan
Cathedral. Boucicaut M. was so great at running
his workshop that scholars believe that he spent
more time managing the place rather than painting.
Almost every illuminator of that period had
worked in the productive workshop of Boucicaut
M. and his models were reproduced until the half of
the fifteenth century. This may be the explanation
to the gap between the style of the miniatures and
the date written on the book. The Magi scene has
a large number of interesting elements. The two
standing Magi strongly suggest a connection with
those painted in the Book of Hours of the Marshal
of France. The whole scene has a lot of elements
shared with two Books of Hours ascribed to Boucicaut
Master’s workshop. In the first book the miniature
is ascribed to Jeanne de Laval Master who, in
1470, would repaint it following a outline drawing
made by Boucicaut M. (E.Koenig, Leuchtendes
Mittelalter V, Heribert Tenschert, n.12). In the second
book, this same scene is ascribed to Boucicaut
M. or to one of his right-hand men and it dates
1410–1415 (G.Bartz, Der Boucicaut-Meister, Katalog
Tenschert 42,1999). – Adoration of the Magi:
The three Magi represent the ages of life. The first
man wearing a red clothing represents youth. The
man in the middle is taking off his crown and he represents
adulthood. The third man kneeling down
represents old age. In this scene there are two main
elements. Firstly the roof is foreshortened, which
was a perspective trick that Boucicaut M. often had
used. Secondly the King in the middle of the scene
who is wearing a green clothing with the «cravat
blanche», a sort of tie under the collar made by two
tails of a white cloth. This was a typical distinctive
feature of that period because it was the symbol of
122 24th ILAB International Antiquarian Book Fair