Antiphonarium [preceded by HIERONYMUS DE MORAVIA, O.P. - Tractatus de musica, ch. 21].

Latin manuscript on vellum, c. 43 x 33 cm, 284 ff. (mod. pencil foliation; 16 regular quires of 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20 or 24 ff.), expertly written in a gothic textura, in black and red ink, with musical notation in black on 4 red staves, (later) marginal annotations in brown ink, a few catchwords in black (some minor marginal soiling, f. 1 sl. wrinkled and blank recto strengthened).

In excellent condition.

Beautiful large complete Antiphonary, once owned (and ordered?) by the Dominican convent Westeroyen (Tiel, Guelders), founded 1399, and from 1445 inhabited by Dominican nuns. After the Reformation their liturgical manuscripts were transferred to Dominican convents in the Spanish Netherlands. This manuscript eventually ended up in Tienen. Contents: f. 1r blank; ff. 1v-4r chapter 21 of the treatise on (liturgical) music compiled after 1272 by the Paris Dominican Jerome of Moravia (active 1272-1304), written to educate Dominican ecclesiastics about chant and polyphony, so that they could perform it and judge it; f. 4v blank; ff. 5r-284v Antiphonary. Some saints named: Nicholaus (164v), Lucia (171v), Agnes (191r), Vincentius (197r), Agatha (229r), Thomas Aquinas (234v). Decoration: rubricated throughout: numerous grotesque initials in black and red; 11 very large penwork initials, c. 11 x 9,5 cm, or 8 x 9 cm, in red and blue, with elaborate extensions into the inner margin (ff. 5r, 5v, 41v, 43v, 58r, 158r, 220r, 221v, 234v, 241v and 246v). Binding: cont. blind-decorated embossed calf over wood, covers with triple-ruled lozenge-shaped frames and sm. circular stamps (fleur-de-lis), spine on 6 raised bands covered with protective chamois, embossed with 5 large circular metal knobs and corner protection with 2 supports at each bottom edge, vellum endpapers (rubbed, a few pieces of leather torn off or cut off at edges). Ref. For Westeroyen manuscripts see H. Hövelmann, “Dit boesken hebben geseint vijf Susteren". Over de inhoud en bijzondere provenance van Den Haag, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Hs. 79 K 3” in Manuscripten en miniaturen. Studies aangeboden aan Anne S. Korteweg" (Zutphen 2007) pp. 159-170. For the decoration (penwork) see A.S. Korteweg, Kriezels, aubergines en takkenbossen: Randversiering in "Noordnederlandse handschriften uit de vijftiende eeuw" (Zutphen 1992). Prov. On f. 5r "Weestroyen". - 18th-c. ownership entries of Dominicans in Tienen, i.a. an account of the temporary transportation of the volume to the Dominicans in Lyon (France). - Later Dominican libr. stamps. Thanks to Gilbert Huybens (Louvain) for the help kindly supplied.