Gorgeous Book of Hours printed on vellum; Germain Hardouin with 16 large and 25 smaller illuminations c.1520

HORAE, use of Rome, in Latin and French — Hore beate marie virginis secundum usum Romanum totaliter ad longum sine require com multis suffragiis & orationibus de novo additis. Paris: for Germain Hardouin [n.d., almanac for 1528-1545].

This remarkable edition of the Horae, or Book of Hours, is presented in both Latin and French, titled Hore beate marie virginis secundum usum Romanum. Published in Paris by Germain Hardouin, this volume, undated but featuring an almanac for 1528-1545, is printed on vellum, making it a unique treasure.

Measuring 166 by 104 mm, the manuscript comprises 88 leaves, collated into a sequence of quires—A-K8 and M8. It opens with a title page that bears the Hardouin device, followed by four quatrains beginning with ‘ung iuif mutilant iadis’. The book includes an anatomical illustration and an almanac, as well as a detailed calendar. Important sections comprise the Hours of the Virgin, featuring compelling scenes such as the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, and the Adoration of the Magi.

Illuminated by a contemporary hand, this volume showcases 16 large engravings along with 25 smaller illustrations. Each cut is adorned in gold and vibrant hues, framed by elegant borders, while liquid-gold initials and line fillers stand out against alternating pink and blue backgrounds, creating a visually striking presentation. The manuscript features narratives such as the Agony in the Garden, Adam and Eve, and the Virgin enclosed within a mandorla, as well as Job seated on his dungheap.

Bound in 18th-century French calf, the book exhibits delicate blind tooling on the spine and is embellished with later gilt edges. Although some sections are rubbed, the binding remains intact, with a repaired spine and gilt lettering enhancing its appearance.

The manuscript has a rich provenance, indicated by a coat-of-arms painted on the initial leaf and small passages that have been crossed through. Davies previously described a copy of this edition, noting its painted rather than metalcut borders while highlighting the distinction of the woodcuts, which may have been obscured by overpainting. Complete despite a break in collation, the table of contents confirms the integrity of the work.

Although Davies described a copy of this edition, unusual by having painted, not metalcut, borders, he did not enumerate the woodcuts, perhaps owing to their invisibility beneath heavy overpainting. They clearly differ from Hardouin’s previous sets, and, while following a similar cycle of subjects, they add cuts for the Agony in the Garden, Adam and Eve, the Virgin in a mandorla, and Job on his dungheap. In spite of the break in collation, the table of contents makes it clear that the book is complete without quire L. Davies, Murray German, 274. Not in Brunet or Lacombe.