Hours of Richard de Vesvrotte. - Lot 11

Hours of Richard de Vesvrotte. BOOK OF HOURS (Roman usage). In Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment. France, Loire Valley (?), circa 1490-1500. With 11 large miniatures and 18 small miniatures attributable to a Loire artist close to Jean Poyer or at least under his influence (with the Annunciation attributable to the Maître des Heures Morgan M. 388?). 94 ff, preceded by 3 sheets of parchment endpapers and followed by 5 parchment endpapers, old numbering jumps from 55 to 60, with no lack of collation (regular quires of 8 sheets) and therefore there must have been no miniature for the Hours of the Holy Spirit nor for the Hours of the Conception (collation: i6, ii8, iii8, iv8, v8, vi8, vii8, viii8, ix8, x8, xi8, xii8), a few advertisements, parchment ruled in pale red ink, writing in bastard letters (two writing modules), text copied on 22 lines, headings in blue or dark red ink, endpapers with liquid gold ornamentation on red and/or blue backgrounds, KL initials with liquid gold ornamentation on dark red or blue backgrounds on the calendar, numerous initials with liquid gold ornamentation (1- to 2-lines high) on blue or dark red backgrounds, a few larger initials in blue with liquid gold decoration on dark red backgrounds (3 to 4 lines high, marking major textual divisions), a large full-page miniature set in a marbled frame itself set in an architectural gilded frame surmounted by two putti with phylactery in the lower margin featuring a portion of text embossed as a sign (fol. 15), other large miniatures in curved format set in various illuminated borders (reserved or gilded backgrounds, geometric motifs, colored acanthus leaves, flowers and fruit, bestiary and grotesques; other dark red or blue backgrounds with gold cameo decoration (vegetal motifs, foliage, grotesques) sometimes combined with geometric motifs on gilded backgrounds, sometimes with stylized precious stones), in all 11 large miniatures and 18 small miniatures (inscribed in the text), with three-quarter borders in the margins. One leaf trimmed a little short, but not seriously (f. 15), a few paint spills in the borders; a few paint chips, notably on the clothes of the angel Gabriel in the Annunciation (fol. 15) and a small paint streak on the stool in the Annunciation. Bound in 18th-century full red morocco, smooth spine decorated with gilt filleting and gilt lace, with lemon morocco patch attached and glued lengthwise (see below), double gilt filleting and gilt lace framing the boards, gilt edges. Corners a little dulled, not serious; a few small spalls; jaws a little rubbed; four small wormholes at tail of spine, not serious. Beautiful manuscript in fine condition. On the spine is a long piece of lemon morocco with the following initials: "M C D C R C L". This numeral (or series of initials) is framed by the "double phi" numeral set with fermesses. A corrective note to the descriptive note (catalog de la vente de la bibliothèque de Richard de Vesvrotte, Dijon, 1886) attributes this double phi to the Fouquet family. The presence of an ex-libris in the name of Gourgue on the upper flyleaf and the marriage of a member of the de Gourgue family to a member of the Fouquet family may explain this reported figure and initials (see Provenance below). Binding dimensions: 167 x 118 mm; leaf dimensions: 162 x 108 mm SEE DETAILED SHEET IN PDF CATALOG.