Post-Incunable ILLUMINATED Book of Hours - Heures a l'usaige de Rome - Paris, Anthoine Chappiel pour Gilles Hardouyn, 1504

Heures a l'usaige de Rome - Book of Hours

Printed by Anthoine Chappiel pour Gilles Hardouyn (Hardouin) (?1455 - ?1529) on 22 August 1504 - Paris

Post-incunable

Printed on VELLUM with contemporary HAND ILLUMINATION from the Workshop of Hardouin

Books of hours were printed in various formats at this time: on paper, on vellum with some heightening of text, and on vellum with fine red, blue and gold illumination of text and illustrations. This is the most luxurious format of the books - printed on vellum and with full hand illumination from the workshop of Hardouin. 

Collation:

79 (of 80 leaves). 8vo. Signatures A-K8 - (Missing C5 which includes the illustration of the Pentecost).  Text in Latin and French, Gothic type, 32 lines. 

This is an early printed Book of Hours (Horae) from the Workshop of Gilles Hardouyn (Hardouin). Hardouin was the foremost producer of books of hours in Paris at the time, and was active from the late 1490s until the mid 1520s. This is a very early Book from his workshop. Many well known individuals, including Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell, owned a book of hours from his workshop. Chappiel printed only three Books of Hours for Hardouin in 1504 and 1505, so editions from his press are uncommon. Giles Hardouin would go on to publish several further editions with his brother, Germain Hardouyn (Hardouin).

This early printed prayer book does not have the engraved frontispiece of later editions by Hardouin. Instead, it opens with a simple and personal prayer to remind the holder of the book of the importance of God in their daily life and eventual death: Translated from French -

"God be in my head, And in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, And in my looking;
God be in my mouth, And in my speaking;
God be in my heart, And in my thinking;
God be in my life, And at my departing. Amen"

ILLUSTRATION and ILLUMINATION:

-12 (of 13) Large Woodcut Illustrations with 28 smaller illustrations in text. Head-letters illuminated in gold blue and red. All illustrations are HAND ILLUMINATED in the workshop of Gilles Hardouyn. 

The Large Illustrations are:

-Tree of Jesse

-Annunciation

-Visitation

-Crucifixion

-Nativity

-Adoration of the Shepherds

-Adoration of the Magi

-Presentation in the Temple

-Flight into Egypt

-Coronation of the Virgin

-Anointing of King David

-The Rich man and Lazarus

 

Prayers and collation:

A1v printed title page with prayer

A1r almanac in French for 1497-1520

A2v-4r calendar

A5v-A6r Gospel sequence [4 small portraits]

A6r-B1r Passion according to St. John [Crucifixion small portrait]

B2v The seven Prayers of St Gregory

B2r-C3v Hours of the Virgin: Matins-Lauds [Tree of Jesse, Annunciation]

C3v-C4v Benedictus (Canticles of Zechariah)

C4r-C6v Hours of the Cross [Crucifixion repeated]

C6r-F4v Hours of the Virgin: 

   -C6v ad primum, D1v ad tertiam , D3r ad sextam, D6v ad nonam, D8r Vespers, E4v Compline

F4v-G1r Seven Penitential Psalms [David Annointed]

G2v-H7v Office of the Dead [Dives and Lazarus]

H7v-K5v Suffrages and other prayers, including Obsecro te, O Intemerata, Stabat Mater [23 small cuts]

K5v-K8v Horae diue barbare

K8v Colophon

 

Annotation

-Two early contemporary annotations to middle and back page"?Je Contemple?"

-Early French annotation to title page (faded)

-18th? Century annotation to final leaf (Translated from the French): "This book is one of the first printings of Paris from the 15th Century with illustrations*. Missing the frontispiece**. In its first binding the corners were of Silver. It belonged, in 1608, to a man who was said to have seen a...?miracle in Coulonges..." - it is difficult to read from this point on

*The book was once thought to be an incunable due to the Almanac starting in 1497, but is now thought to be printed in 1504

** This very early impression from Hardouin did not have a frontispiece

 

Binding

-Later Early 19th Century Velvet binding with metal centre and corner pieces. One corner piece missing and some wear to velvet.

 

Condition

Minor wear to binding and some marks to Vellum leaves. Some small losses to text (?early) with replacement by hand.

 

Provenance

-Early manuscript annotation to title page

-Armorial bookplate of: Charles Barclay 1780 - 1855

-Christies Sale 1972

 

Rarity

Only 2 copies known in institutions - Bodleian Oxford and Versailles (67 leaves only), one other illuminated copy sold in Christies in 2015 (78 leaves only).

 

Bibliography

USTC 6689