Psalterium & Breviarium for the Birgittine (Bridgettine) Nuns of Mariënwater, in Latin.

4to (215 x 155 mm): 235 ff. of fine vellum, writing area 140 x 93 mm, black pen in a Gothic hand (some 18th c. marginal annotations in Dutch, 5 original prickings in the margin, marginal tear repaired f. 184).

Contemp. calf over wooden boards, blind-stamped, spine with raised bands, 2 large leather headbands, 2 brass clasps (very small loss of leather at 3 places on the boards and at the ends of some raised bands, small split at the bottom of the spine; mobile part of upper clasp replaced). Very good condition.

Magnificent and prestigious devotional manuscript in its original binding, in pristine condition.
Contents:a Lunar or computus table (2 pp.) preceded by a chronological notice on its use by Joannes de Azwilre (priest and canon at Cologne, 13th c.), the calendar (12 pp.), psalms, the litany and prayers with short music notation. After the Psalter, one finds the hymn "Ave Maria Stella" (3 pp.), and at the end of the volume, another hymn "Trium deum in unum" (15 pp.), both with musical scores on 4 staves, the first one by a later hand.
Text and Decoration: Latin. Neat and very regular handwriting in "littera textualis" on 21 lines. Apart from numerous 2- and 3-line initials and lombards in red and blue or with decorative penwork, 21 large very fine initials from 6 to 11 lines with detailed penwork in red, blue, indigo and green ink. Decoration composed of long tendrils with small green dots in the margins and rozets filling up the initials, all patterns and details as well as the colours are very representative for the style of penwork of the manuscripts from the North-Brabant region, more particularly for the style of the scriptorium of Rosmalen.
Use: Calendar for the diocese of Liège (SS. Servatius, Lambertus and Hubertus). Own Use for Birgittine nuns (Translation of S. Birgitta, 28 May, her Birthday, July 23th and Canonization, October 7th). This prestigious Order was founded in 1344 by S. Birgitta of Sweden.
Origin: From the scriptorium of the Birgittine monastery of Mariënwater (or Coudewater) at Rosmalen near 's-Hertogenbosch, founded in 1434 by Mila van Kampen and Peter de Gorter as a double abbey (male and female), and abolished in 1648.
Datation: Since the calendar mentions Easter on March 22nd (with Sunday letter "D" and Indiction "11"), the year of creation should be 1478 (cf Strubbe & Voet, p. 126).
Binding: full calf over wooden boards, blind-stamped, central panel figuring the Scourging of Christ at the Pillar by two executioners (94 x 69 mm; the panel on the upper board upside down); marginal legend "Corpus . meum .dedi./ percutie[n]tibus / et . genas . meas . vellentibus / Isaie . 50" around the central scene; surrounded by an inner border of flowing foliage with flowers and birds, a middle border formed by the repetition of an escucheon charged with the arms of 's-Hertogenbosch held by two woodhouses and finally, another flowing foliage at the top and a row of 6 stamps figuring a dragon on a square field.
Provenance: Suster Maria Anna (van) Kilsdonck (died 1740), author of the marginalia (ms entry f. 238). - D.C. van Voorst and his son J.J. (18th c., their inventory n. 20 in ink on inside upper cover, but apparently not figuring in their auction by Frederik Muller, Amsterdam, 27 January 1860). - [Jan] Six van Hillegom (1857-1926; engr. armorial bookpl.; his auction by Frederik Muller and Anton Mensing, Amsterdam, 17-18 October 1928, lot n. 209).
Comments: A very similar manuscript in Leiden (UB, BPL 2856 : the same number of ff. but with some Middle Dutch texts on extra leaves, same dimensions, identical writing area and number of lines, same decoration, also with Maria Anna Kilsdonck provenance). To compare, see also : The Rosmalen Breviary, Christie's, Auction June 11th 2024, lot n. 51.
Ref: Goldschmidt - Gothic and Renaissance Bookbindings, 1928, n. 152 and pl. CVI (another binding with the same arms of 's-Hertogenbosch). - Koldewey, A.M.- In Buscoducis. 1450-1629. Kunst uit de Bourgondische tijd te 's-Hertogenbosch, 1990, vol 1 (Catalogus), n. 85 (for the Leiden copy). - van Veenendaal, A.- Gedecoreerde handschriften van Mariënwater, in Idem, vol. 2 (Bijdragen), pp. 497-500 (idem). - Korteweg, A.- Kriezels, aubergines en takkenbossen, 1992, n. 153 (idem). - Manuscrits, dessins, livres, estampes provenant de la collection-Six [...], auction cat. 17-18 octobre, Amsterdam, Frederik Muller & Cie, 1928, lot n. 209 (our copy). - Verheyden, P.- Boekbanden uit 's-Hertogenbosch, in Het Boek, Nieuwe reeks, 21, 1933, pp. 214-215. - Weale, J.- Bookbindings and Rubbings [...], London, 1898, n. 383 (our copy) ("From the Binding of a MS. in the Six collection, Amsterdam"). - Schoenberg database SBDM-116863 (for the Leiden copy). - Our manuscript not mentoned in Sander Olsen, U.- Handschriften uit het Birgittinessenklooster Mariënwater te Rosmalen bij 's-Hertogenbosch, in Serta devota in memoriam Guillielmi Lourdaux. Pars posterior, 1995, pp. 225-254 (p. 248 : Maria Anna van Kilsdonck).