Case 5
Bifolium from a Book of Hours, in Latin. France (Paris), ca. 1425. Reed MSF22.
The writing on these leaves is in a Gothic liturgical hand, but the letters have thinner, taller minims (the vertical strokes of a letter, such as ‘m’ or ‘n’), giving the script a tall, compressed look.
The complete manuscript was in private ownership in New Zealand until 1964 when it was sold to the Folio Society (London) and then broken up. These two leaves would have formed the central bifolium of probably the sixteenth gathering. The text is part of Vespers in the Office of the Dead.
Single leaf from a Book of Hours, in Latin. Northern France, late fourteenth century. Reed MSF16.
This form of Gothic script is known as a Gothic liturgical hand because of its regular use in Missals, Books of Hours, Lectionaries and other books used in religious services. The letters of this leaf have a rounded shape, with markedly thick, heavy minims.
The text is the heading and opening of the penitential psalms, to Psalm 31:5.
Single leaf from a Book of Hours, in Latin. Northern France, late fourteenth century. Reed MSF16.
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Single leaf from a Book of Hours in Dutch. Northern Netherlands, ca. 1450. Reed MSF24.
The text of this leaf is written in Dutch in a small regular Gothic bookhand. The text is from the service of Sext in the Hours of the Holy Ghost.
