farfel_n01_106_044

44
Philip Duschines
NYC - Oct. '76
$12.50

Roman calendar - Sextilis (subsequently
named August for
Augustus.

-Manuscript
15th Century - Book of Hours - French (Northern)
Calendar leaf - August - 4 5/8 x 6 1/2"
- 16 lines to a page - red + brown ink
- burnished gold initials (Northwestern France -Breton)

Earliest separate English Hour Book - mid 13 C.
The calendar of saints' days is an important part of the Book of
Hours, + the inclusion of local saints is often of great help in
ascertaining a manuscript's place of origin. Calendars were
decorated with the signs of the Zodiac or with series of pictures of the
12 months.

In the usual sequence of a Book of Hours, the cucle of hours
paper followed the extracts from the Gospel + the 2 prayers
to the Virgin. Eight hours of the day supplemented the
regular offices of the church: matina,) auds, prime, Terce
sext, nones, vespers + cmpline.

(Calends - Nones - Ides) KL - Kalendae, the 1st day of the month
- The cursus (organization of euchological services) of the secular clergy too
varied from place to place. Their original devotions of Sunday vigils +
daily lands + vespers were strongly influenced by the monastic
movement. Feasts of saints were celebrated with a proper night
office (matin + lands) chanted before that of the day. THis two fold
night office is the origin of the grading of doubles, ie solemnities
with originally a double Office. Such 'vigils' of the saints with
3 or 9 Psalms + lessons persisted throughout the middle ages
for feasts of local + patron saints.

The Psalter was eventually ousted by The Book of Hours

-Illuminated Book of Hours occur before the end of the 13th C +
by the end of the 14th they had become extremley popular

- "ivy leaf" pattern which came into vogue early in the 14th C -
when it gave way to a much less tasteful style of border with
backgrounds partly or wholly gilt instead of the plain
Vellum.