Book of Hours (Use of Châlons-sur-Marne) – Fragment
Parchment · 1 leaf · 1450 – 1500 CE · northern France · 170 x 120 mmF-galx
Canberra, The Australian National University Library
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Scholarly descriptions
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Maggs Bros., European Miniatures and Illumination & Calligraphy also early writing from Egypt. Bulletin No. 11. London (November 1982)
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R. Faunce, "Cataloguing and making discoverable ANU Library's small collection of detached medieval manuscript leaves", The Australian National University, 2018.
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Otto F. Ege, Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe XII-XVI century, c1940
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Canberra, The Australian National University Library · [sine loco], codices restitutiTranscriptions
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Summary
The leaf is from a Book of Hours dismembered by Otto F. Ege for inclusion in specimen sets of medieval manuscript leaves he compiled in the 1940s under the title "Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscripts". It is listed as no. 48 of the fifty exemplars.
The leaf came onto the market in 1981, sold by Maggs Bros, London, to the Friends of the Australian National University Library.
Contents: Litany of saints - the end of the list of male saints followed by the names of female saints and orisions. Five saints invoked in the Litany are traditionally linked to the Diocese of Châlons-sur-Marne (since 1998 Châlons-en-Champagne), namely, Saints Alpin, Germain, Memmius, Elaphe and Poma. St Memmius is venerated as the first bishop of Châlons. Local legend maintains that Châlons was evangelised by Memmius, assisted by his sister Poma, in the first century. The association to Châlons is further supported by the invocations to two other early bishops: St Alpin who served as bishop of Châlons for 47 years (433-480) and founded the Abbey of St Memmius in the diocese, and St Elaphe who was bishop in 579.
The beginning of the Litany is held in a leaf from the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library Otto F. Ege collection. https://fragmentarium.ms/overview/F-krd8
Decoration: 39 1-line initials in gold on alternating blue and pink grounds and well modelled "bois écotés" branch-like line fillers in gold. Marginal side panel in gold with flora, consisting of acanthus tendrils in blue, white or red in the centre and a carefully detailed flower painted above and below.