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no. 36, Horae Beatae Mariae Virginis
No full textCaption "Books of Hours, beautifully written, enriched with burnished gold initials, and adorned with miniature paintings, were frequently the most treasured possessions of the devout and wealthy layman. They were not only carried to chapel but were often kept at the bedside at night. Oaths were sworn on them. Books of this small size, two and one-half by three and one-half inches, are comparatively rare. The craftsmanship in this example imitates and equals that in a volume of ordinary size, about five by seven inches. Recently these small "pocket" editions have been given the nickname "baby manuscripts." In general, the miniature Books of Hours contain only that section of the complete volume which deals with the prayers to be read or recited at the canonical hours; namely, matins, vespers, nocturns, and those for the prime, tierce, sext, nones, and complin. Indulgences were often granted for the faithful reading or recitation of these prayers." (written by Otto Ege) This vellum leaf was created in France. In Angular Gothic Script.Vellum leaf from set number 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Eg
no. 29, Horae Beatae Mariae Virginis
No full textCaption "It is generally no great task to assign these illuminated Books of Hours to a particular country or period. The treatment of the ivy spray with the single line stem and rather sparse foliage is characteristic of the work of the French monastic scribes about the year 1450 A.D. The occasional appearance of the strawberry indicates that the illuminating was done by a Benedictine monk. Fifty years earlier the stem would have been wider and colored, and the foliage rich; fifty years later the ivy and holly leaves would be entangled with flowers and acanthus foliage." (written by Otto Ege) In Angular Gothic Script. This manuscript was probably from France.Vellum leaf from set number 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Eg
no. 35, Contra Jovinianum
No full textCaption "Jerome, the father of the Latin Church and translator of the Bible, shows in his writings his active participation in the controversies of his day (c. 332 to 420 A.D.). With the frequent use of vehement invective, he is often as biting as Juvenal or Martial. This fine book hand, lettre de somme, obtained its name from the fact that Fust and Schoeffer used a type based on it for the printing of their Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas in 1467. It was the favorite manuscript book hand in the second half of the XVth century for the transcribing of French chronicles and romances. Simplicity and dignity are maintained by omitting all enrichment around the burnished gold letters. The first printed books followed the practice seen here of marking off by hand and with a stroke of red the capitals at the beginning of each sentence. Fifteenth century ink frequently had a tendency to fade to a gray tone as in this example." (written by Otto Ege) This vellum leaf was created in France. In Letter de Somme Script.Vellum leaf from set number 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Eg
no. 32, Gradual
No full textCaption "A Gradual contains the appropriate antiphons of a mass sung by the choir of the Latin Church on Sundays and special holidays. The text was furnished largely by the 150 Psalms and the Canticles of the Old and New Testaments. The superb example of calligraphy in this leaf illustrates the supremacy of the Italian scribes of the time over those of the rest of Europe. It is frequently assumed that this late revival of fine writing may have been caused by the concern of scribes over the impending competition with the newly invented art of printing. The music staff still retains here the early XIIth century form with the C-line colored yellow and the F-line red. The four-line red staff had been in use for over two centuries before this manuscript was written." (written by Otto Ege) This leaf was created in Italy. In Rotunda Gothic Scripts.Vellum leaf from set number 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Eg
no. 34, Psalterium
No full textCaption "This Psalter was written by Carthusian monks. Of all the orders the Carthusian was the smallest and most austere. The membership never exceeded one per cent of those enrolled in the combined monastic orders. The Carthusians were frequently hermits, and manuscripts written by them are rare. The rotunda book hand used in this leaf is representative of the general excellence maintained by Italian scribes at the time when printing was being introduced into their country. The simple melody for the Psalms apparently was added at a somewhat later date. Close observation of the initial letters will frequently reveal a small black letter inserted as a guide for the monk who later added the color initial. The use of two guide lines for the lettering is unusual. Ordinarily one line, below the writing, was deemed sufficient. The lines were drawn with a stylus composed of two parts lead and one part tin." (written by Otto Ege) This leaf was created in Italy. In Rotunda Book Hand, Square Notation.Vellum leaf from set number 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Eg
no. 31, Horae Beatae Mariae Virginis
No full textCaption "In the second half of the XVth century, the devout and wealthy laymen had a wide selection of Books of Hours from which to choose, both manuscript volumes and printed texts. These were often sold, in large cities, in book stalls erected directly in front of the main entrance to the cathedral. The first printed and illustrated Book of Hours appeared in 1486. It was a crude work, but later noted printers such as Verard, Du Pre, Pigouchet, and Kerver issued in great numbers Books of Hours with numerous illustrations and rich borders. The decorations were frequently hand colored and further embellished with touches of gold. These Books of Hours created a strong competition for the more costly manuscript copies. Customers who still preferred the manuscript format and could afford it also had a choice of many different types of decoration and could stipulate what quantity and quality of miniatures they desired. By this time the ivy spray had a variety of forms. It might be seen springing from an initial letter, from the end of a detached bar, in a separate panel in company with realistic flowers, or forming a three- or four-sided border intermixed with acanthus leaves and even birds." (written by Otto Ege) In Angular Gothic Script. This manuscript was probably from France.Vellum leaf from set number 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Ege
no. 38, Missale Lemovicense
No full textCaption "The provenance of this manuscript is clearly designated as Limoges because of the inclusion of certain parts of the masses proper to this diocese, and because of the presence of the coat of arms and obituary records of the noted de Rupe family of that city. Frequently, without such data, it would be impossible to determine whether a fragment written in this period and country was from Amiens, Dijon, or Limoges. The national book hand had become amazingly uniform. In this manuscript as in many manuscripts of the XVth century there is an increasing tendency to speed and slackness. France was no longer setting the standard for manuscripts. This example shows that they were greatly influenced by contemporary Italian manuscripts." (written by Otto Ege) In Angular Gothic Script. This manuscript was probably made in Italy.Vellum leaf from set number 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Eg
no. 39, Ab urbe condita
No full textCaption "The known part of Livy's great life work, the History of Rome, was completed about the year 9 A.D. The finished work consisted of one hundred and forty-two books, of which only thirty-five are extant. These books are regarded as one of the most precious remains of Latin literature. One of the outstanding characteristics of the scholars and scribes of the Italian Renaissance was their great interest in Latin literature. Through their influence, many copies of the classics were made from the few IXth and Xth century manuscripts available. These earlier manuscripts had been written in a carolingian or pre-gothic script to which the XVth century humanistic calligraphers assigned the name antiqua littera. The letters were not really of antiquity, since minuscule letters were not known before the time of Charlemagne. In the XVth century, this carolingian script became the inspiration not only for manuscripts like this leaf, but also, shortly thereafter, for the fine roman types designed by the printers in Italy." (written by Otto Ege) This vellum leaf was created in Italy. In Humanistic Script.Vellum leaf from set number 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Eg
no. 27, Antiphonarium
No full textCaption "The chanting of hymns during ecclesiastical rites goes back to the beginning of Christian services. Antiphonal or responsive singing is said to have been introduced in the second century by St. Ignatius of Antioch. According to legend, he had a vision of a heavenly choir singing in honor of the Blessed Trinity in the responsive manner. Many of the more than four hundred antiphons which have survived the centuries are elaborate in their musical structure. They were sung in the medieval church by the first cantor and his assistants. Candle grease stains reveal that this small-sized antiphonal was doubtless carried in processions in dimly lighted cathedrals. In this example the notation is written on the four-line red staff which was in general use by the end of the XIIth century. The script is the usual form of Italian rotunda with bold Lombardic initial letters." (written by Otto Ege) In Rotunda Gothic Script. This manuscript was probably from Italy.Vellum leaf from set number 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Eg
no. 25, Psalterium
No full textCaption: "The Psalter with its one hundred and fifty psalms is the best collection of religious lyrics which the world possesses. It is no wonder, therefore, that it forms an important part of so many medieval manuscripts. The Psalms are found not only in manuscripts of the Bible, but also in Missals, Breviaries, and Books of Hours; and, as they had to be memorized by the priests, they were also transcribed separately. In the earlier periods there was generally a harmonious unity between the spirit of the ornament and the character of the writing. This unity is exemplified in this leaf. The three-lobed, gracefully drawn symmetrical fronds of leaves in the ornament are usually accepted without question as representing the ivy plant. In the Middle Ages many magical and medicinal qualities were attributed to this plant. Unfortunately, fire and water, mice and men have in the course of the centuries often left their damaging marks on manuscript leaves. Some pages of this manuscript book show the effect of having been exposed to dampness." (written by Otto F. Ege) In Gothic Script. This manuscript is probably from France.Vellum leaf from set 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Ege