2. Psalter-Hours, Use of Liège.

Psalter-Hours, Use of Liège.

Fols 10r-15v. Calendar entries in red include SS. Servatius, Remacle, Lambert, Hubert, and Remigius; entries in black include translation of St Lambert, SS. Arnulf, Vedast, Amand, Quentin and Foillan. A Lambertum verse occurs in March and April. Fol. 16v. Easter table with Lambertum verse, inscribed MCXL.

Fol. 19r. French poem: Une faisselet de myre…et mes amis a moi….

Fols 19v–121r. Psalter.

Fols 121v–127v. Six canticles.

Fols 127v–I30v. Litany, including SS. Lambert, Remacle, Hubert, Servatius, Gertrude and Afra; the petitions include the words ut clerum et plebem sancti marie sanctique Lamberti mart yris conservare digneris on fol.129r.

Fol. 131r. Hours of the Nativity of the Virgin entitled Cursus beate [Marie]: commemorations at lauds in honour of the Cross, apostles, SS. Lambert, Nicholas, Catherine and All Saints.

Fols 163v–181v. Office of the Dead.

Fols 182r–190r. Psalter of the Virgin: Ave porta paradysi…

Fol. 190v. Veni Creator spiritus.

Fols 191r–200r. Hours of the Purification.

Fols 200v–207v. Hours of the Annunciation.

Fols 207v–216v. Hours of the Assumption.

Parchment

207 folios, foliated 10–216. Folios 16r, 17r and 18r are blank.

3⁶, 4⁴, 5-15⁸, 16⁷ (lacks 1), 17-25⁸, 26⁴, 27-29⁸, 30², [31⁹, 32⁶, 33⁹, 34¹⁰, 35⁴, fourteenth-century fragment], [36-37, another fourteenth-century fragment].

Some quire signatures.

Modern arabic foliation, which is incorrect after fol. 58, a leaf having been missed between fols 58 and 59. Foliation 10–52 in fourteenth-century arabic numerals and 18–215 in contemporary roman numerals. One folio between 58 and 59 unnumbered (now foliated 58Ar and 58Av). Folios 16r, 17r and 18r are blank.

Text space: 105 x 72 mm. Thirty-three long lines ruled in black ink with red and blue rubrics; Calendar in black and red: 12.[11.3.10.3.55].28 x 9[112].49.

One-line red and blue versal initials occur throughout. Only very occasionally are they flourished in the alternate colour when relating to a margin, as on fol. 87v. Flourishes occur in relation to the border on fol. 9v. There are some two-line initials of the same type at the beginning of hymns etc. within the hours, as on fol. 151r. The text is written in a solid block without line-endings, P-S rubrics dividing the psalms.

Three-line decorated initials introduce the psalms and other subdivisions of the devotions. Twenty-four historiated initials, usually ten lines high, preface the main divisions of the book. They are closely related in style and colour to the decorated initials, with their shafts in pink or blue and the scenes within the initials themselves set against burnished gold grounds. Narrow square gold frames, outlined in black, project into the margins as a simple bar border, the pink or blue of the initial surrounds also being extended as part of this decoration. Small grotesque heads, usually in white, are incorporated into some of these borders, and the latter terminate in a curling tail or zig-zag prolongation of the initial frame. On fol. 20r, Psalm 2, the initial tail frames the page and a boy with a bow shoots at a bird in the upper right of the border. The pink and blue ‘KL’ headings of the calendar pages have similar bar extensions, and the twenty-four calendar miniatures, two decorating the side of each page, are set in burnished gold diamonds on pink or blue quadrilobes Circlets of blue or pink further ornament the corners of the diamond shapes.

Three full-page miniatures are divided into two roundels and framed by a border whose pattern matches that of the decorated initials. Six quadrilobe-shaped medallions with half-length figures are set into these borders. Folio 19v, which incorporates the Beatus initial for Psalm I, contains the letters for the opening words of the psalm in the lower section of the border.

The predominant colour scheme throughout the decoration is pink, blue, red, gold and white, with some green and brown, and a bright orange-red appearing in the full-page illustrations.

Program of Decoration and Illustration

The Calendar.

Twenty-four medallions of the labours of the months and signs of the zodiac illustrate the Calendar as follows:

Fol. 10r. January. A man feasting, Aquarius.

Fol. 10v. February. A man pruning, Pisces.

Fol. 11r. March. A man hoeing, Aries.

Fol. 11v. April. A man with two flowering branches, Taurus.

Fol. 12r. May. A man playing viola, Gemini.

Fol. 12v. June. A man with basket picking fruits. Cancer.

Fol. 13r. July. A man with scythe, Leo.

Fol. 13v. August. A man with sickle, Virgo with mirror.

Fol.14r. September. A man treading grapes, Libra.

Fol. 14v. October. A man sowing, Scorpio.

Fol. 15r. November. A man with hog on shoulders, Sagittarius.

Fol. 15v. December. A man killing hog, Capricorn.

The Psalter.

The Psalter is prefaced by a series of three full-page miniatures which illustrate the infancy of Christ and end with an historiated Beatus initial introducing the psalm text proper. Border medallions of the prophets and saints surround these miniatures. The subjects are as follows:

Fol. 17v. Annunciation/Nativity; fol. 18r blank; fol. 18v. Adoration of the Magi/Presentation in the Temple; fol. 19v B (historiated initial). Ascension/Pentecost: Psalm I: Beatus vir.

Individual Psalms.

Twenty-four historiated initials illustrate individual psalms as follows:

Fol. 20r. ‘Q’ David playing harp: Quare fremuerunt, Psalm 2.

Fol. 35r. ‘D’ Christ healing a blind man: Dominus illuminatio mea, Psalm 26.

Fol. 45r. ‘D’ Flight into Egypt: Dixi: Custodiam, Psalm 38.

Fol. 53v. ‘Q’ Massacre of Innocents: Quid gloriaris, Psalm 51.

Fol. 54r. ‘D’ First Temptation of Christ: Dixit insipiens in corde, Psalm 52.

Fol. 63v. ‘S’ The Lord above/Jonah in the Whale below: Salvum me fac, Psalm 68.

Fol. 75v. ‘E’ David playing bells: Exultate Deo, Psalm 80.

Fol. 86r. ‘C’ Two clerics singing: Cantate Domino quia, Psalm 97.

Fol. 87v. ‘D’ David in prayer below/God above: Domine exaudi et clamor, Psalm 101.

Fol. 98r. ‘D’ Trinity: Gnadenstuhl or throne of Mercy; Dixit Dominus, Psalm 109.

Fol. 121v. ‘C’ Thomas testing the wounds of Christ: Confitebor tibi domine, canticle.

Offices and Prayers.

Historiated initials illustrate the following Marian Offices and prayers:

Folios 131r – 161r. The Hours of the Virgin (combined with the Office for the Nativity).

Fol. 131r. ‘D’ Virgin and Child: matins

Fol. 140v. ‘D’ Betrayal: lauds.

Fol. 145v. ‘D’ Christ before Pilate: prime.

Fol. 151r. ‘D’ Scourging of Christ: tierce.

Fol. 153v. ‘D’ Carrying of Cross: sext.

Fol. 155v. ‘D’ Crucifixion: none.

Fol. 158v. ‘D’ Deposition: vespers.

Fol. 161r. ‘C’ Three Marys at the Tomb: compline.

Fol. 163v. ‘D’ Bosom of Abraham: Vigils of the Dead.

Fol. 183r. ‘A’ Kneeling Theophilus before the Virgin: psalter of the Virgin, Ave porta paradysi.

Fol. 191r. ‘D’ Presentation in the Temple: abbreviated Hours of the Purification.

Fol. 200v. ‘D’ Annunciation: abbreviated Hours of the Annunciation.

Fol. 207v. ‘D’ Coronation of the Virgin: abbreviated Hours of the Assumption. 

Southern Netherlands, Liège, c. 1270s.