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Leaf Opening Compline, Hours Of The Virgin, France, Recto, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

The Coronation of Mary is usually depicted with Mary kneeling while an angel places a crown on her head. This particular leaf is unusual because there is no angel crowning her or standing beside her. Instead, angels watch and pray in the background as Mary kneels in front of God the Father.

Antiphonal [Hu Codex 4]

Medieval Manuscripts

• Country of origin: Italy
• Date: ca. 1450
• Citations: Bond, W. H. Supplement to the Census of Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in the United States and Canada, no. 4.
• Provenance: McVitty

Leaf Opening Compline, Hours Of The Virgin, France, Verso, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

This leaf is in a style typical of manuscripts illuminated in Paris and Rouen in the late fifteenth century.

Leaf Ending Prime And Opening Terce, Hours Of The Virgin, Rheims, France, Recto, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

The Hours of Prime and Terce coincided roughly with our hours of six and nine a.m. The one large decorated initial beginning the capitulum Hec est virgo helps to identify the prayer sequence. The use of Psalm 117, combined with this Hymn sequence, the antiphon O Admirable, and capitulum Hec est virgo, confirm that this manuscript was made for Rheims.

Leaf Ending Prime And Opening Terce, Hours Of The Virgin, Rheims, France, Verso, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

The Hours of Prime and Terce coincided roughly with our hours of six and nine a.m. The acanthus vine border decoration with flowers and fruits encased inside medallions on colored grounds, is an innovation of late fifteenth century French illumination, and the style is also consistent with Rheims.

Meditations, With Prayers, On The Life And Loving Kindnesses Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, France, Thomas À. Kempis

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

The manuscript seen here is a copy of Thomas Kepis' Meditations, with Prayers, on the Life and Loving Kindness of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Leaf From A Breviary, Use Of Angers, France, Recto, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

This humble Breviary lacks any extensive decoration, indicating its probable use by a poor cleric. Some of the rubrics, rather than being written in red ink, are written in black ink and underlined in red.

Leaf From A Psalter, Germany, Verso, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

This octavo-sized portable Psalter features Psalm 68, referred to as the Salva me (Save me) poem, which addresses the sufferings of Jesus during His Life.

Bifolium From A Breviary, Use Of Rome, Italy, Verso A, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

This portable Breviary developed during the rise of mendicant monastic Orders in the thirteenth century. This bifolium is an example of the single-volume portable Breviary common during the late Middle Ages. In addition, the minimal decoration further suggests its use by a poor cleric.

Bifolium From A Breviary, Use Of Rome, Italy, Verso B, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

This portable Breviary developed during the rise of mendicant monastic Orders in the thirteenth century. This bifolium is an example of the single-volume portable Breviary common during the late Middle Ages. In addition, the minimal decoration further suggests its use by a poor cleric.

Leaf With Ancillary Prayers, France, Recto, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

Beyond the standard content in a Book of Hours a patron would sometimes wish to include additional prayers of intercession. These ancillary prayers could include indulgences or additional prayers to the Virgin Mary or local patron saints. Ancillary prayers show how Books of Hours could be personalized to match individual requests. This leaf features two such prayers.

Leaf With Ancillary Prayers, France, Verso, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

Beyond the standard content in a Book of Hours a patron would sometimes wish to include additional prayers of intercession. These ancillary prayers could include indulgences or additional prayers co the Virgin Mary or local patron saints. Ancillary prayers show how Books of Hours could be personalized to match individual requests. This leaf features two such prayers.

Meditations, With Prayers, On The Life And Loving Kindnesses Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, France, Folio 2, Recto, Thomas À. Kempis

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

The manuscript seen here is a copy of Thomas Kepis' Meditations, with Prayers, on the Life and Loving Kindness of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Leaf Opening Terce, Hours Of The Virgin, France, Verso, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

Sixteen pages with single columns of black text each with two sizes of typeface, capital letters and decoration in red throughout. Woodblock (9 x 7) on first page depicting the crucifixion with the inscription "vere filius erat iste" (truly this was the s

Leaf Opening Terce, Hours Of The Virgin, France, Recto, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

The top of the text has a red rubric, Ad Tertiam, which identifies the text as Terce. The Hour of Terce follows the Hour of Prime. Terce was typically recited in the morning and illustrated with the Annunciation to the Shepherds. The opening versicle and response of Terce are the same as that of Lauds, Prime, Sext and Vespers, and they read, in translation: "Incline unto my aid, O God. Lord make haste to help me."

Leaf From The Hours Of Catherine, France, Recto, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

This leaf is from an entire sequence of Hours dedicated to Saint Catherine, the patron saint of nurses, maidens, millers, students, wheelwrights and philosophers.

Leaf From The Hours Of Catherine, France, Verso, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

This leaf is from an entire sequence of Hours dedicated to Saint Catherine, the patron saint of nurses, maidens, millers, students, wheelwrights and philosophers.

Leaf From A Missal, Italy, Verso, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

Continues with the service for the feast day of St. Lawrence on August 10th.

Leaf From Litany, Paris, France, Recto, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

This leaf lists male saints. St. Dionysius, St. Arnulf, and St. Louis are all listed, and their inclusion is congruent with Parisian use. The border has gold vines and leaves with blue and red flowers. The design was traced once on one side and mirrored on the other.

Meditations, With Prayers, On The Life And Loving Kindnesses Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, France, Cover, Thomas À. Kempis

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

The manuscript seen here is a copy of Thomas Kepis' Meditations, with Prayers, on the Life and Loving Kindness of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The front of the binding on this manuscript further call Christ into mind. Pressed into the leather are six images of animals, including a lion, peacock, pelican, and grifffin. The griffin and lion act as direct symbols of Christ as savior and the Resurrection. The peacock and pelican allude more indirectly to Christ through legend.

Leaf From A Breviary, Use Of Angers, France, Verso, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

This humble Breviary lacks any extensive decoration, indicating its probable use by a poor cleric. Some of the rubrics, rather than being written in red ink, are written in black ink and underlined in red.

Leaf From Litany, Paris, France, Verso, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

This leaf lists female saints. The border has gold vines and leaves with blue and red flowers. The design was traced once on one side and mirrored on the other.

Leaf From A Psalter, Germany, Recto, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

This octavo-sized portable Psalter features Psalm 68, referred to as the Salva me (Save me) poem, which addresses the sufferings of Jesus during His Life. In addition to the rubric at the beginning of the Psalm, the large and heavily decorated initial S further serves as an organization tool by acting as a chapter heading.

Leaf From A Missal, Italy, Recto, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

The recto of the leaf seen here begins the feast day of St. Lawrence on August 10, indicating it came from the Sanctoral section of a Missal. This leaf depicts St. Lawrence in the historiated initial C. His attributes include a gridiron, representing his grisly martyrdom, and a quill, symbolizing the role he played in the preservation of the Early Church's documents.

Margareta Von Schwangau An Ihren Mann, 18. Mai 1445, Margareta Von Schwangau

Essays

This particular work has been extracted from Classen's Frauen in der deutschen Literaturtgeschichte.

Antiphonal [Hu 2]

Medieval Manuscripts

• Country of origin: Italy
• Date: ca. 1440
• Dimensions: ca. 560 x 410 mm
• Citations: none
• Provenance: Otto Ege; S. Herbert McVitty
• Other: neumes, red and blue lettering and decoration

Leaf, January Calendar, Bruges, Southern Netherlands, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

The Calendar is usually the first section of a Book of Hours. Like modern calendars, it contains 365 days of the year divided into twelve months, but it ephasizes feast days. The days in red, known as Red Letter Days, denote major feast days such as Epiphany in January. Lesser feast days such as that of Pope Gregory in March are written in brown ink. To the left of the fest days appear two vertical columns of numbers and letters. The numbers, known as the Golden Numbers, assist one in locating Sundays.

Leaf With Ending Of Prime, All Of Terce, And Opening To Sext, Hours Of The Holy Spirit, Bruges, Belgium, Recto, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

This particular leaf begins mid-Prime, opens Terce on the recto and opens Sext on the verso. The leaf differs from the usual text in that all of the Hours skip the first versicles and responses to begin with the hymn. Each Hour has an individual hymn, but shares the final versicle, response, and oratio.

Leaf With Ending Of Prime, All Of Terce, And Opening To Sext, Hours Of The Holy Spirit, Bruges, Belgium, Verso, Unknown

Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

This particular leaf begins mid-Prime, opens Terce on the recto and opens Sext on the verso. The leaf differs from the usual text in that all of the Hours skip the first versicles and responses to begin with the hymn. Each Hour has an individual hymn, but shares the final versicle, response, and oratio.

Annunciation: Manuscript Leaf From A Book Of Hours, Catholic Church

Rare Books

Manuscript leaf on vellum: 166 x 110 mm, color illustrations, illuminations

Annunciation miniature from Matins, the first hour of the Office of the Virgin. From a book of hours produced in the mid-15th century. Floral border on shell gold surrounds miniature of Gabriel kneeling before Mary on recto; floral border on left side of verso outlined in red next to 16 lines of gothic script in black ink with illuminated initials and line-fillers.