Hor[a]e B[ea]te Marie ad usu[m] Romanu[m].totaliter ad lo[n]gu sine regrē[ssu]:-c(um) multis pulcherrimis suffragiis nouiter additis D[omini] Gerdii- Hardouyn commorantis Parīsius in coem[enter]io pdie nostre die ad intersignii Rose: ante con[tem]plum Divi Dionysii de Carcere
Paris : Germain Hardouyn, sans date 1514. Price $ 18,000
Half octavo/sexternions? 12 x 6.6 cm. Collation: +8, A-C8, D2-7 (lacking D1 & D8), E8, F1-2, F4-5, F7-8 (lacking F3 & F6), G1-7 (lacking G8), H-M8, N4. “lacking 5 text leaves” [A complete should be +8 A-M8 N4]? Printed on parchment throughout; lacking 5 leaves; illustrated with 12 full or nearly full page hand-colored illuminations over metalcuts painted in many colors with liquid gold highlights; with other small illustrations and initials and capital strokes also enhanced with colors throughout; text in single column in a gothic face. This is bound in later full dark calf, with clasps and catches repaired, all edges gilt.expertly restored.
Although undated, this edition belongs palaeographically and typographically to the first Hardouyn “reformed” Roman Hours printed after the Paris confraternity disputes of 1511–1512. The typeface — a sharply cut bâtarde with compact diacritics and the characteristic tall f and long-s fusion — corresponds to the font Hardouyn began using ca. 1513–1514 (see Bohatta and the Picot catalogue). The calendar style (if present) and the inclusion of the full Pichore suite also exclude the earlier 1509–1511 transitional editions. The small-format quires (sexternions), the vellum impression quality, and the elaborate hand-coloring place this securely within Hardouyn’s “second generation” Hours, produced circa 1514–1518, before the shift to simplified border sets in the 1520s
After the calendar, the illustrations begin with the GH coat of arms on first leaf. The metalcut shows five angels encircling a wreath enclosing a shield bearing the monogram GH, surmounted by a radiant dove (Holy Spirit) and God the Father in a cloud above. The GH stands for Germain Hardouyn, who operated in Paris at the sign of l’Ange Gardien (“the Guardian Angel”). Earliest use of these arms as the first leafs dates from circa 1509–1510, in small-format vellum Horae (cf. Tenschert & Nettekoven, Horae B.M.V., no. 143).and continues through the 1510s–1520s, appearing in editions by Germain Hardouyn, sometimes also by Gilles Hardouyn, either in black outline or hand-colored. The other twelve Pichore-derived metalcuts; appears first in Hardouyn editions ca. 1510–1512, printed on vellum in small format, and continues to ca. 1525 with minor redrawing. Jean Pichore (fl. 1502–1521) was a Parisian illuminator, designer, and publisher who supplied drawings for both manuscript and printed Heures. His workshop specialized in small-scale compositions—ideal for transfer to metalcuts and woodcuts. The so-called Pichore group included artists and printers such as Philippe Pigouchet, Simon Vostre, and later, Germain and Gilles Hardouyn. Around 1508–1510, Germain Hardouyn acquired or commissioned a complete Pichore-designed metalcut suite: twelve large devotional scenes (Creation through Resurrection). These became the basis for Hardouyn’s small-format Horae on vellum. The metalcuts are characterized by crisp burin engraving on metal (not wood), compact narrative scenes framed by borders later filled with colored ink, and ability of reuse across Latin–French bilingual editions (Heures à l’usage de Rome, Paris, etc.).
Hardouyn’s innovation was to shrink the deluxe illustrated Book of Hours into a pocket 12/16mo format while keeping the same richness of decoration: these books are usually printed on vellum, hand-colored throughout. The twelve full-page Pichore-derived metalcuts as the structural spine of the book; crisp burin engraving on metal (not wood), compact narrative scenes with painted in framesfilled with colored ink, and made for reuse across Latin–French bilingual editions (Heures à l’usage de Rome, Paris, etc.).
One of Hardouyn’s innovations was to shrink the deluxe illustrated Book of Hours into a pocket 12mo format while keeping the same richness of decoration. The images here are:
1) Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian; 2) Expulsion from the Garden of Eden; 3) Annunciation to Mary; 4) Visitation of St. Elizabeth to Mary; 5) Nativity of Christ; 6) Annunciation to the shepherds; 7) Adoration of the shepherds; 8) Presentation in the Temple; 9) exodus; 10) Christ with two soldiers and a figure of death; 11) Lazarus and Dives; and 12) the resurrection.
Left Page Eiii (v)
| Latin text | English translation |
|---|---|
| Deus, in adiutorium meum intende. | O God, come to my assistance. |
| Domine, ad adiuvandum me festina. | O Lord, make haste to help me. |
| Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto; | Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; |
| Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. | As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Hymnus. | Hymn. |
📖 Right Page Eiiii (r)
| Latin text | English translation |
|---|---|
| Memento salutis auctor, | Remember, O Author of our salvation, |
| quod nostri quondam corporis | that once thou didst take upon thyself our mortal body, |
| ex illibata Virgine | being born of an undefiled Virgin, |
| nascendo formam sumpseris. | and by thy birth didst assume our nature. |
| Maria mater gratiae, mater misericordiae, | Mary, mother of grace, mother of mercy, |
| tu nos ab hoste protege, et hora mortis suscipe. | do thou protect us from the enemy and receive us at the hour of death. |
| Praesta, Pater piissime, natoque compar unice, | Grant this, most loving Father, together with thy only-begotten Son, |
| cum Spiritu Paraclito in sempiterna saecula. Amen. | with the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, forever and ever. Amen. |
| Pulchra es, Domina. | Thou art fair, O Lady. |
| Psalmus. | Psalm. |
| Nisi Dominus aedificaverit domum, | Unless the Lord build the house, |
| in vanum laboraverunt qui aedificant eam. | they labor in vain that build it. |
| Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem, | Unless the Lord keep the city, |
| frustra vigilat qui custodit eam. | he watcheth in vain who keepeth it. |
| Beatus vir qui implevit desiderium suum ex ipsis: | Blessed is the man who hath filled his desire with them; |
| non confundetur cum loquetur inimicis suis in porta. | he shall not be confounded when he speaketh with his enemies in the gate. |
Bohatta 971.; Not in Tenschert & Nettekoven, Horae B.M.V. vols I-IX or Lacombe 255–256 or Brunet, Heures gothique.
For university and special collections purchases, I am accustomed to working within committee timelines and budget cycles. Titles may be placed on hold during review, and flexible invoicing arrangements can be discussed where appropriate. I welcome inquiries at jamesgray2@me.com.
Jamesgray2@ME.COM
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