Book of Hours, C15th | Book of Hours in Dutch made by the workshop of the Master of the Zwolle Bible, Use of Utrecht, c. 1470

148 mm x 107 mm, Book of Hours, Use of Utrecht, illuminated manuscript on vellum, c. 1470 with complete calendar, in Dutch, 189 leaves (one inserted from in later hand, too tight to collate reliably); text block 62 x 87 mm, gothic liturgical hand, in dark brown ink, ruled for 18 lines; 5 large historiated initials (ten-lines), 36 pages with three-quarter borders, 30 medium large initials (five- to six-lines) in blue or red, most enclosing a floral motif in pink, red and green on background of burnished gold, all with three-quarter illuminated borders of trailing vines, acanthus leaves, flowers and strawberries, dots and trefoil decorations in burnished gold, red, pink, green, red and blue, countless 2-line initials throughout in burnished gold with scrollwork infilling on alternate red and blue grounds, many sprouting into border with gold dots and stylised leaves on hair-line stems; margins of historiated leaves, and 6 others slightly shaved, opening leaf and final 2 leaves slightly soiled, in few instances marginal trimming of top border; eighteenth-century green morocco gilt.

MADE BY THE MASTERS OF THE ZWOLLE BIBLE, A REFINED EXAMPLE OF DUTCH MANUSCRIPT ILLUMINATION

A beautifully executed Book of Hours in Dutch, made by the Masters of the Zwolle Bible c. 1470 for the Use of Utrecht. This workshop was active in Zwolle and created manuscripts for the area of Utrecht and further afield. The Masters take their sobriquet from a Bible written for St Mary's in Utrecht, between 1462 and 1476 by a member of the Brethren of the Common Life in Zwolle. The Bretheren of the Common Life were founded by Geert Groote in the Netherlands the late 14th century. The order was part of the religious movement of the devotio moderna founded by Geert Groote which emphasised personal and more inwardly devotion, turning away from the heavily ritualistic and outwardly representative spirituality of the 13th and 14th centuries. As a self-supporting order, high emphasis was placed on book production and the community became known for their fine manuscripts and printed books which honoured God through their splendour without tipping into ostentation.

The manuscript at hand is a prime example of the orders prolific and successful manuscript production, including five large and attractive historiated initials depicting: the Virgin and Child, Christ on Mount Gethsemane, Moses receiving the ten Commandments, Christ as Salvator Mundi, and two souls in purgatory.

The initial ‘H’ depicting the Virgin and Child is a stellar example of the workshop’s refined style and well-rounded composition. The text block is surrounded by an elegant border of curling acanthus leaves and inhabited by delicate angels in orange and rose tunics. Painted on a dark red ground with rays of fine gold emanating from the two figures, the Virgin is clothed in a voluminous blue dress and mantle which contrasts with the pale skin of the Christ child who is glancing adoringly at his composed and almost sombre looking mother – maybe in foreshadowing of his fate. The two figures are placed in a spacious letter ‘h’ which is embellished with white traced acanthus leaves and surrounded by burnished gold.

36 pages of the manuscript are embellished with three-quarter borders in the typical style and soft, almost pastel palette of the Masters of the Zwolle Bible, showing fleshy acanthus leaves in two or more tones, surrounded by dots of brightly polished gold leaf, interspersed with angels, fruits, and flowers.

A later (female?) owner amended the Hours of the Holy Ghost, by adding a leaf to reflect changes in liturgy and personal preference which hints at the continued relevance of this elegant manuscript.

The manuscript at hand is a beautiful example of the high-standard of Books of Hours produced by the Masters of the Zwolle Bible.

ILLUMINATION

Five large historiated initials: the Virgin and Child, Christ on Mount Gethsemane, Moses receiving the ten Commandments, Christ as Salvator Mundi, and two souls in purgatory

TEXTS

Calendar for the Use of Utrecht; Hours of the Virgin; Hours of the Cross; Hours of Eternal Wisdom; The Penitential Psalms and Litany; Office of the Dead.

PROVENANCE

1. Most likely written and illuminated in St Gregory House of the Brethren of the Common Life in Zwolle. The calendar spells St Marijis (St Marius), venerated on the 19th January, as St Sarijis. This idiosyncrasy can be found in several manuscripts originating in the St Gregory House of the Brethren of the Common Life in Zwolle, and based on this erroneous spelling the group was coined ‘Sarijs-group’ by the scholar Lydia Wierda. 

2. Bonhams, London, 15 March 2005, lot 18

LITERATURE

Wierda, Lydia. De Sarijs-handschriften. Laat middeleeuwse handschriften uit de IJsselstreek, Zwolle 1995.

Marrow, James H., et al. The Golden Age of Dutch Manuscript Painting. New York 1989, Chapter X, pp. 244-49.