Books of Hours

Fascinating, tiny manuscript, nestled in not one but two boxes, one of which is an exquisite jeweled binding.  A precious gift with a distich addressed to an unknown recipient (the coat of arms remains unidentified), the manuscript includes seven illuminations, scenes illustrating the Passion of Christ, all by the Master of Philippe of Guelders and workshop.

12 folios, complete in itself, I + i of 7 + II, written in a neat humanist script on 17 long lines (justification 45 x 25 mm.), rubrics in red, 2-line initials accompanying the miniatures in blue with white infill on gold grounds filled with tiny flowers, 1- and 2-line initials throughout in liquid gold on alternating blue and burnt orange grounds, 7 full page miniatures with full liquid gold architectural frames, each enclosing four lines of introductory text, in good condition, some miniatures rubbed.  Bound in later crushed red velvet binding (19^th century?) and housed in a Sangorski & Sutcliffe jeweled case, studded with turquoise and red and purple stones (garnets and amythest, or paste?) and signed on the inside cover “MADE BY SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE LONDON,”binding of green Morocco with extensive gold tooling and scroll work, edges gauffered and gilt;  and a large protective Moroccan leather box, labelled ‘1460’ [presumed date of the manuscript] and ‘1915’ [probable date of the jeweled housing]. Dimensions 70 x 50 mm. (manuscript); 160 x 120 mm. (Sangorski & Sutcliffe housing); 230 x 195 mm. (Moroccan box).

Provenance

1. Written and illuminated in France, likely in Paris, probably as a gift for an unknown recipient whose coat of arms appears with an inscription: “Exiguum munus cum dat tibi pauper amicus.  Accipite placide” (“Thy poor friend’s gift from his scanty store, accept it gratefully”), suggesting that this was produced as a special gift.  The inscription is from Cato’s Distich’s Bk. 1, 20, further suggesting a learned gift-giver.

The artist, the Master of Philippe of Guelders (active c. 1500-1510) was identified by John Plummer (Last Flowering, 1982) and named after a Grande Vie de Jesus Christ painted for Philippe (or Philippa) of Guelders, wife of René II de Lorraine (Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon, MS 5125).  The artist contributed to many important royal commissions in Paris and northern France at the turn of the sixteenth century, including the Choir Book of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany (fragments and leaves disbursed). His style is influenced by Jean Colombe and the Master of Spencer 6 and is characterized by the packed compositions, the short and stocky proportions, the overall features of the faces with eyebrows and lids drawn a thin stroke, and the combed hair with gold highlights. His palette is intense with a liberal use of strong blues and golds, maroons and greens.

2. Private Collection, USA.

Text

Following the dedication (see Provenance), the manuscript contains the Hours of the Cross, as follows:

ff. 2-4, Office of the Holy Cross, Matins;

ff.  4v-5v, Office of the Holy Cross, Prime;

ff. 6-7, Office of the Holy Cross, Terce;

ff. 7v-8v, Office of the Holy Cross, Sext;

ff. 9-10, Office of the Holy Cross, None;

ff. 10v-11v, Office of the Holy Cross, Vespers;

ff. 12-13, Office of the Holy Cross, Compline;

Illustration

The traditional cycle of illustrations introduces the hours of the Cross, as follow:

f. 2, The Betrayal of Christ (Kiss of Judas): Judas identifies Christ with a kiss as soldiers prepare for his arrest, marking the beginning of Christ's Passion (Matins);

f. 4v, Christ before Pontius Pilate: Christ stands trial before Pilate, who delivers the fateful judgment (Prime);

f. 6, The Crowning with Thorns:  Christ is mocked as soldiers place a crown of thorns on his head, symbolizing his suffering (Terce);

f. 7v, The Nailing of Christ to the Cross: Christ is nailed to the cross by executioners in a dramatic scene of physical anguish (Sext);

f. 9, The Crucifixion: Christ hangs on the cross, mourned by Mary and His Followers below, a powerful depiction of sorrow and faith (None);

f. 10v, The Deposition: Christ's body is removed from the cross, tenderly handled by the Virgin Mary and His followers (Vespers);

f. 12, The Lamentation (Pieta): Mary and John, along with others, sorrowfully contemplate the lifeless body of Christ (Compline).

The pictures are tiny, the illuminated space measuring 26 mm. x 34 mm.).  Comparison can be made with the following works by the Master of Philippe of Guelders and Workshop: a Book of Hours in Philadelphia (Free Library MS 95); a Book of Hours in the Vatican (Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, Borgh. 183); and a printed and hand-illuminated Book of Hours made for Louis XII (Paris, Philippe Pigouchet for Simon Vostre, dated October 15, 1499).  It is the latter book that includes large and small illuminated metalcuts of the Passion, which compare closely with the present manuscript in composition and in style. The Pigouchet/ Vostre volume also provides a means of dating the manuscript, c. 1500. For these works, see the Literature (Online resources).

Binding

The firm was founded in London in 1901 by Francis Sangorski (1875-1912) and George Sutcliffe (1878-1943) who met at a bookbinding evening led by Douglas Cockerell.  They revived the art of jeweled bindings of which one of the most lavish and celebrated was the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, which went down with the Titanic in 1912.  The present exquisite Sangorski & Sutcliffe jeweled binding, circa 1915 [date on the Morocco box], exemplifies the height of Edwardian revival of medieval craftsmanship, combining meticulous artistry with opulence. The binding is adorned with intricate gold tooling, featuring interwoven knotwork and floral motifs. The rear cover prominently displays the Christogram "IHS," symbolizing the name of Christ, rendered in gold and red enamel and framed by garnets, turquoise, and amethysts. The spine features additional floral inlays and raised bands, with the title “HORAE” and the inscription “SAEC. XV,” signifying the manuscript's fifteenth-century origins. This exceptional example of craftsmanship is a masterful piece of Sangorski & Sutcliffe's artistry.

Literature

Plummer, John with the assistance of Gregory Clark. The Last Flowering: French Painting in Manuscripts 1420-1530. New York-London: Oxford University Press for the Pierpont Morgan Library, 1982.

Avril, François and Nicole Reynaud, Les manuscrits à peinture en France, 1440-1520.  Paris, Flammarion, 1993.

Shepherd, Rob. The Cinderella of the Arts: A Short History of Sangorski & Sutcliffe. London, 2015.

Online resources

Book of Hours, Philadelphia, Free Library MS 95
https://openn.library.upenn.edu/Data/0023/html/lewis_e_095.html#a13r

Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Borgh. 183 
https://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Borgh.183

Book of Hours, Philippe Pigouchet for Simon Vostre, October 15, 1499
https://www.heribert-tenschert.com/inventory-printed-books-of-hours/printed-book-of-hours-king-louis-xii-illuminated-martainville-master-philippa-of-guelders-1499

BOH 256