A Hundred Highlights from the Koninklijke Bibliotheek
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Mediaeval manuscripts and illumination
1 Egmond Gospels
The Egmond Gospels. Reims, third quarter of the ninth century; Northern France, c.
900; Flanders, c. 975. Vellum, 218 leaves, 231 x 207 mm.
Provenance: Oud-bisschoppelijke Klerezij in Utrecht, 1830.
76 F 1, fol. 214v
The Egmond Gospels are beyond doubt among the greatest achievements of Dutch
cultural history of the early Middle Ages. Besides its importance as a historical
document it also contains the oldest depictions of Dutch people and buildings, and
represents one of the oldest surviving church treasures.
It contains the text of the four gospels, and was written in the third quarter of the ninth
century in Reims in Northern France, as may be deduced from certain characteristics of
its script. After some time it must have found its way to more western regions, where a
rich decoration of canon tables, portraits of the evangelists, and ornamental pages in
the ‘Franco-Saxon’ style were added. Around 975 it belonged to Dirk II, Count of
Holland from about 939 to 988, who had it bound in a rich binding adorned with gold
and precious stones. He subsequently presented the manuscript to the Abbey of
Egmond, probably on the occasion of the dedication of the Abbey church, which he had
rebuilt in stone. On that occasion he had two miniatures added, which record the
donation. The first one portrays Dirk and his wife Hildegard laying the book on the altar
in the church, which is depicted in the typical medieval combination of cross section and
exterior view that was customary in the Middle Ages. On the right-hand miniature, which
has not been reproduced here, both spouses pray to St. Adalbert, the patron saint of
Egmond, for intercession with Christ. Each representation is elucidated by a Latin verse,
of which the left one reads in translation: ‘This book was donated by Dirk and his
beloved wife Hildegard to the merciful father Adalbert, that he may righteously
remember them in all eternity’.
The Gospelbook remained in Egmond till the sixteenth-century iconoclastic
disturbances, when it was brought to safety in Haarlem and later on in Cologne; the
richly decorated binding was, however, lost during those days. The manuscript was
rediscovered in Utrecht at the beginning of the nineteenth century and placed in the
Koninklijke Bibliotheek after being purchased by the Dutch government for its historical
importance.
Schatten van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1980, no. 12, 13; A.S.
Korteweg, "Thierry II, count of Holland, and his wife Hildegard and their
donations to Egmond Abbey", in: Byzantium and the Low Countries in the tenth
century. S.l. 1985, p. 147-156, fig. 1-2; De verluchte handschriften en
incunabelen van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1985, no. 411; P.C.
Boeren. Catalogus van de liturgische handschriften van de Koninklijke
Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1988, no. 43; Vor dem Jahr 1000: abendländische
Buchkunst zur Zeit der Kaiserin Theophanu. Köln 1991, no. 49; Bernward von
Hildesheim und das Zeitalter der Ottonen. Hildesheim 1993, no. V-8.
2 Gospels
Gospels. Meuse Valley, second half of the twelfth century. Vellum, 131 leaves, 314 x
212 mm.
76 E 17, fol. 100v-101r
The Koninklijke Bibliotheek owes a large number of its Southern Netherlandish and
French manuscripts to the brief period between 1815 and 1830 when the Netherlands
and Belgium formed one kingdom. In those days King William I bought some large
collections of manuscripts and early printed books from private owners, which he
alternately placed in the Royal Libraries of Brussels and The Hague. One of his
acquisitions was the library of the Belgian historian G.J. Gérard in 1818, which, besides
containing mostly writings on Belgian history, included also a number of magnificent
Southern Netherlandish illuminated codices. The collection was originally placed in the
General Archives of the Netherlands and partly transferred to the Koninklijke Bibliotheek
in 1832.
Thus this Gospelbook, which must have been executed in the Meuse Valley in the
second half of the twelfth century, entered the Koninklijke Bibliotheek. It contains the
text of the four gospels and is illuminated with ten canon tables (tables indicating the
concordance between the parallel passages in the gospels) and portraits of the four
evangelists. In three cases the portrait is put on the left-hand page, while the gospel text
starts on the opposite page, with a conspicuous decoration of initials and coloured
bands. This creates an attractive beginning of the gospel, as can be seen here, with to
the left St. John the Evangelist with his symbol, the eagle, and to the right the initial
words of his gospel ‘[In] principio erat verbum ...’ ([In] the beginning was the Word). The
letters I and N of the first word have been worked into the background of the miniature.
The bright red, blue and green colours and the division of the background into
geometric areas are characteristic of Romanesque miniatures. The austere and
imposing way in which the evangelists have been portrayed indicates that the painter,
who had a somewhat archaic working method, may have used an Ottonian model of
around the year 1000. He must have derived the postures of the evangelists and the
motif of intertwined initials in the background from this model. So far it has not been
possible to locate the actual centre or monastery where he must have lived.
Schatten van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1980, no. 15; De
verluchte handschriften en incunabelen van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 'sGravenhage 1985, no. 348; P.C. Boeren. Catalogus van de liturgische
handschriften van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1988, no. 41.
3 Psalter
Psalter. Normandy, c. 1180. Vellum, 176 leaves, 232 x 169 mm.
Provenance: G.J. Gérard collection, 1832
76 F 13, fol. 5v
Until the advent of the Book of Hours in the fourteenth century the psalter, a book with
the texts of the hundred and fifty psalms, was the most important prayer book for lay
people. Like the future Books of Hours, psalters were often elaborately decorated, as
commissioned by wealthy patrons. An outstanding example of such an illuminated
psalter is the one discussed here, which was executed in Normandy around 1180. The
manuscript contains twenty-six full-page miniatures, twelve in the calendar at the
beginning of the book, followed by fourteen (originally probably eighteen) miniatures
with representations from the life of Christ. In the actual text the usual division of the
psalms is emphasized by historiated initials (first letters with a figurative representation)
in which here scenes from the life of David, the author of the psalms are depicted.
Particularly striking are the full-page miniatures in the calendar, which have taken the
place of the usual, much smaller historiated initials. The ‘labours of the months’
portrayed in these miniatures show the traditional combination of the hard labour of the
farmers on the land, and the pleasant pastimes of the nobility. Belonging to the latter is
the picture of the month of May, in which a knight on horseback rides out to go hawking.
The hawker, draped in ermine, is shown at the moment of taking off the hawk's hood, a
rarely depicted detail. The style with its bright colours and austere outlines, as well as
the physiognomy of the falconer's face reveal that the miniature is painted by an artist
coming from Normandy or the south of England. The manuscript was made for an
unknown, possibly noble patroness, who had herself portrayed in a kneeling position in
a full-page miniature before the beginning of the texts of the psalms. The calendar
contains a number of saints who were especially venerated in the monastery of
Fécamps in north-west France, which suggests that she lived in that neighbourhood.
Schatten van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1980, no. 18; De
verluchte handschriften en incunabelen van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 'sGravenhage 1985, no. 7; Codex Manesse. Katalog zur Ausstellung. Heidelberg
1988, no. H.14.
4 Lancelot
Lancelot compilation. Brabant, c. 1320. Vellum, 241 leaves, 285 x 200 mm. Bound in an
eighteenth-century binding with the tooled arms of William V.
129 A 10, fol. 201r
The stories about King Arthur and his Round Table were a very popular genre in the
Middle Ages. Valour, loyalty, chivalrous courage and love for fair maidens are the
salient ingredients within great themes like the life of Lancelot, the quest of the
mysterious Grail, and the fall of the Realm of King Arthur.
The most important Middle Dutch version is the ‘Haagse Lancelotcompilatie’. The
``Roman van Lancelot'', as this manuscript is also called, can boast all of 87,000 lines,
written on 475 pages. Yet this is not the most complete version: the Middle Dutch text is
part of a skilful rhymed adaptation of a thirteenth-century French trilogy in prose. The
first part on Lancelot in the Hague manuscript does not have the initial part on his youth.
The adaptor of the Middle Dutch text has changed the three French parts, Lancelot du
Lac, La Queste del Saint Graal and La Mort le Roi Artu into a compilation incorporating
seven other chansons de geste. The compiler has interlaced the different stories in an
ingenious way by a technique appropriately called entrelacement: a deliberately chosen
principle of structuralization to indicate that all the events in this ‘chronicle’ took place at
the same time. At one moment attention is drawn to the adventures of Lancelot the
Knight, at another the focus is on a different protagonist. In the end all the stories come
together in the point of departure, Arthur's castle.
The fourth book of the Lancelot compilation tells the story of the death of King Arthur.
The only Middle Dutch version of this narrative is found in the ‘Lancelotcompilatie’. The
page reproduced here contains lines 1-172 of the prologue to this book. The large initial
M in red and blue indicates the beginning of a new ‘book’.
The manuscript has come to the Koninklijke Bibliotheek via the collection of the
stadholders. The obvious assumption is that it was already part of the library of John IV,
Count of Nassau, in the fifteenth century. The first owner of the codex was Louis of
Velthem, as is written on fol. 238 recto: ‘Here ends the book of lancelot which belongs
to lodewijc van velthem’.
Roman van Lancelot, (XIIIe eeuw) naar het (eenig-bekende) handschrift der
Koninklijke Bibliotheek (ed. W.J.A. Jonckbloet). Vol. 2. Den Haag 1849; Bart
Besamusca. Repertorium van de Middelnederlandse Arturepiek. Utrecht 1985;
Lanceloet. De Middelnederlandse vertaling van de Lancelot en prose
overgeleverd in de Lancelotcompilatie. Vol. 2-3. Assen, Maastricht 1991-1992;
The Seventeenth-Century Orange-Nassau Library. Utrecht 1993, no. 2868.
5 Spiegel Historiael
Jacob van Maerlant. Spiegel Historiael. West Flanders, c. 1325-1335. Vellum, 258
leaves, 320 x 233 mm.
Provenance: on loan from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1937.
KA XX, fol. 255r
Jacob van Maerlant is one of the major Dutch poets of the thirteenth century and the
founder of didactic literature in the Low Countries. His translations of important
encyclopedic works from Latin into the vernacular met the growing need of the lay
people - nobility as well as wealthy middle classes - who were taking an ever increasing
interest in knowledge and learning. He translated three long didactic poems, Der
Naturen Bloeme, the Rijmbijbel, and the Spiegel Historiael, of which the last one is
considered undisputedly his highest achievement. It is an adaptation of Vincent van
Beauvais's Speculum Historiale, which he started in 1283 at the request of Floris V,
Count of Holland. The Speculum described the history of the world from the Creation
until the year 1250, in four parts, called ‘Partiën’ by Maerlant. He had only finished the
adaptation of the first, third and part of the fourth ‘Partie’ when he had to stop working
on it, possibly for reasons of health. The translation was later on completed by two
younger contemporaries, one of whom added a fifth ‘Partie’.
The text of the Spiegel Historiael has not come down to us in full. The Hague
manuscript is the only one in which all parts adapted by Maerlant himself, have survived
in toto. It is, moreover, the only copy that was illuminated: it contains nineteen
historiated initials and forty-three miniatures. The majority of the latter cover a horizontal
strip over the full width of the three columns of text, at the bottom of the page. The last
miniature depicts the capture of Jerusalem by Godfrey of Bouillon in 1099. The
miniature shows the knights storming Jerusalem from all sides, to the right with
ingeniously made offensive equipment, and in the middle with little boats across the
moat. Godfrey himself, recognizable by the Brabant lion on his apparel and shield, is
forcing his way in on a ladder. To the left a group of crusaders, headed by St. George,
watch the event. The language of the text in this manuscript indicates that this copy was
made in West Flanders, and in all probability it was also illuminated there.
Schatten van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1980, no. 61; Jacob van
Maerlant's Spiegel Historiael (ed. Ph. Utenbroeke and L. van Velthem). 4 vols.
Utrecht 1982; De verluchte handschriften en incunabelen van de Koninklijke
Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1985, no. 362; J. Janssens, "Arturstof in de
Nederlanden", in: Arturus rex. Vol. 1., Leuven 1987, p. 119-122, ill. 20-21.
6 Der Naturen Bloeme
Jacob van Maerlant. Der Naturen Bloeme. Flanders or Utrecht, c. 1350. Vellum, 163
leaves, 278 x 208 mm.
Provenance: on loan from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1937.
KA XVI, fol. 41v
The first large didactic poem which Jacob van Maerlant translated into the vernacular
for the benefit of his fellow countrymen was De Natura Rerum by Thomas of Cantimpré
(cf. no. 5). The book is one of the links in a long chain of texts in which knowledge of the
existing world of Antiquity was handed down to the Middle Ages. The oldest source is
Physiologus, written about AD 200 in Alexandria, in which some fifty animals, birds,
legendary creatures and stones are described. In later centuries the book was
continually changed and expanded, and with Thomas of Cantimpré the number of
descriptions had even grown to several hundred. This extensive compendium,
summarizing all knowledge of our world and the universe existing at the time, was
slightly abbreviated by Maerlant. In thirteen books he successively dealt with man,
quadrupeds, birds, sea monsters and fishes, reptiles and insects, trees, spices and
medicinal herbs, springs, precious stones and the seven metals.
The book starts with a number of strange human races which, as had been assumed
since Antiquity, lived in unknown and faraway countries such as Ethiopia and India.
After credibility as to their existence had further strengthened because the Church
Fathers had elaborated upon them, these ‘homines monstruosi’ were assigned a
permanent place in medieval encyclopedias. The page reproduced here shows us at
the top left, people with such tiny mouths that they are not able to eat; all they can do is
sip through straws. Underneath there are cannibals and at the bottom, people with only
one eye, the Cyclops. At the top right are people with only one leg, but a foot so large
that they can use it as a sunshade. Underneath is a picture of people without heads, but
with eyes and nostrils in their chests, and finally people who live on the scent of apples,
which they therefore keep permanently under their noses.
The text of Der Naturen Bloeme has come down to us in eleven manuscripts, seven of
them illuminated. However, no exhaustive analysis of the interrelation of the
manuscripts has been made so far. It is difficult to establish the place of origin of the
Hague manuscript, but it must have been made about 1350, either in Flanders or in
Utrecht.
Schatten van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1980, no. 62; De
verluchte handschriften en incunabelen van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 'sGravenhage 1985, no. 364.
07
7 Beatrijs
Beatrijs. Brabant, c. 1374. Vellum, 78 leaves, 257 x 190 mm.
Provenance: Jacob Visser collection, 1809.
76 E 5, fol. 47v
The legend of the nun Beatrijs is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Middle
Dutch literature. The story lies hidden in a collection of edifying-didactic texts, including
De Dietsche Doctrinael and Jacob van Maerlant's Heimelicheit der Heimelicheden. The
luxurious execution of the manuscript, the high quality of the vellum, the beautiful script,
and the decoration - fairly unusual for Middle Dutch manuscripts - suggests that it was
intended for a prominent lay person, or for a prospective nun as a present upon entering
the convent.
The legend of Beatrijs, sacristan of her convent, tells the story of a nun who,
overwhelmed by love, has herself abducted from the convent by a young man whom
she had known from childhood. They live happily for seven years and have two children,
but when money runs short, the young man deserts her. Beatrijs now has to provide for
herself and her children as a ‘ghemeen wijf’, a woman of the streets. For seven years
she manages to do so, faithfully praying to the Virgin Mary and reciting the Hours of the
Virgin every day. Overcome by remorse she then sets out with her children, begging her
way to the region of her former convent. On her arrival she is told that the sacristan is
still at the convent, and in three successive visions she is urged to resume her former
duties: for all those years the Virgin had been taking her place.
The legend of Beatrijs probably dates to the beginning of the thirteenth century, and has
come down to us in many Western European languages. However, comparison with the
other versions of the legend reveals the superiority of the Middle Dutch version and the
genius of its creator. Due to its well-balanced structure, excellent choice of words, lively
dialogue, and vivid descriptions of nature the legend has great literary value. In addition,
the human element in the narrative and the considerable psychological understanding
of the poet make it stand out from the other versions. The Middle Dutch version dates
probably to the end of the thirteenth century. The manuscript in the Koninklijke
Bibliotheek, the only one in which this legend has come down to us, is a later copy from
about 1374.
J. Deschamps. Middelnederlandse handschriften uit Europese en Amerikaanse
bibliotheken. Leiden 1972, no. 20; De verluchte handschriften en incunabelen
van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1985, no. 365; Beatrijs:
geschreven in de 2e helft van de 13e eeuw door een onbekend dichter. Zellik
1986; A.M. Duinhoven. De geschiedenis van Beatrijs. 2 vols. Utrecht 1989.
9 City of God
St. Augustine. La Cité de Dieu (first volume). Paris, early fifteenth century. Vellum, 339
leaves, 423 x 330 mm.
72 A 22, fol. 6r
In the first two decades of the fifteenth century Paris experienced a period of
unprecedented flourishing of the art of miniature painting. An important impetus to this
development were the numerous noble patrons as, for instance, the King of France and
the Duke of Berry. Dozens of eminent miniaturists worked on commissions ranging from
the illumination of Books of Hours to the illustration of the works by authors from
antiquity and more recent times. A particularly magnificent manuscript of that period is
the copy of the French translation of De Civitate Dei by the Church Father St.
Augustine, reproduced here on the opposite page. As is usual in such works, the text
begins with an elaborately decorated opening page, followed by ten smaller miniatures
at the beginning of the individual books. The miniature reproduced here depicts God the
Father, enthroned amidst the four doctors of the Church: top left St. Augustine, top right
St. Gregory the Great, recognizable by his papal tiara, bottom left St. Ambrose, and
bottom right St. Jerome, dressed as a cardinal with his attribute, the lion, at his feet. The
most important authors of Christianity have been depicted writing, with their writing
sheets kept flat by red ribbons weighted with lead pellets. The written sheets which St.
Gregory has hung to dry on a line - the sole instance of such custom being depicted are famous among manuscript experts. Framing the page is a magnificent, densely
decorated border of green and pink leaves which, linked at the bottom by a true-to-
nature rendering of hills with trees, gives the overall impression of a forest full of birds
and playful hunting scenes.
About 1485 the book became the property of Philip of Cleves, councillor and warrior of
Maximilian, Duke of Burgundy, the French King Louis XII and the Emperor Charles V
successively. In the lower margin he had his coat of arms painted, with his emblem of
two corn dressers, and a banner with his motto ‘A JAMAIS’ between the two columns of
text above. After his death in 1528 part of his manuscript collection was bought by
Henry III of Nassau, thus devolving within the collection of the stadholders until this
became part of the collection of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek.
Schatten van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1980, no. 33; De
verluchte handschriften en incunabelen van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 'sGravenhage 1985, no. 43.
10 History Bible
History Bible. Utrecht, c. 1430. Vellum, 2 vols, 291+298 leaves, 400 x 302 mm.
Provenance: purchased by King William I and placed in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek,
1829.
78 D 38, vol. 1, fol. 152v
One of the most impressive achievements of Dutch manuscript painting is no doubt the
creation of a continuous cycle of illustrations for the Bible translation known as the
Dutch History Bible. The text itself is a compilation from translations by the ‘translator of
1360’, probably a monk from Belgian Brabant, and Johannes Scutken, a monastic from
the Devotio moderna circles. The biblical narrative is complemented by stories from
secular history, while difficult passages are explained by means of sections from Jacob
van Maerlant's Rhime Bible - usually outlined in red in the manuscripts. This adaptation
met with considerable success, especially in the Northern Netherlands: some twenty
copies - complete or in part - are still known, most of them made in Utrecht and dating
from between 1430 and 1478. The two-volume History Bible in the Koninklijke
Bibliotheek is the most abundantly illustrated extant copy. It contains as many as 69
historiated initials at the beginning of the individual books and 509 small miniatures in
the text. The illumination was executed by eight artists, six of whom took the lion's share
of the work. The history of Samson was painted by the Master of Otto van Moerdrecht,
who executed 136 miniatures for the books from Joshua through Tobit. His style is
characterized by bright colours and small, doll-like figures, moving about in an
undulating landscape with jagged rocks, and always a stream in the foreground. The
miniature in the left column shows Samson carrying the doors of the gate of Gaza on
his back, while in the one in the right column Delilah is cutting his hair, the source of his
strength. Another important aspect of the Bible are the instructions for the painters,
which are often found in the margin, thus giving us an insight into the artistic practice of
the illustration. In the case of the Master of Otto van Moerdrecht these instructions were
(alas) written on the place where the miniatures were to be painted: part of the upper
line is still visible at the top edge of the miniature on the right.
J.A.A.M. Biemans. Middelnederlandse bijbelhandschriften. Leiden 1984, no. 252; De
verluchte handschriften en incunabelen van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage
1985, no. 144-145; The golden age of Dutch manuscript painting. Stuttgart 1989, no. 38.
11 History Bible
History Bible. Utrecht, 1443. Vellum, 248 leaves, 395 x 295 mm.
Provenance: H. Wolff's antiquarian bookshop, The Hague, 1939.
69 B 10, fol. 8r
This exceptionally beautiful part of a History Bible contains the New Testament with The
Destruction of Jerusalem, preceded by the Book of Psalms. The text was copied in
1443 by Gerard Wesselszoon from Deventer, a professional scribe, who must have
been living in Utrecht at the time. The Utrecht provenance is also corroborated by the
shape of the painted foliage in the margin, and by the typical Utrecht pen-flourishes
adorning the smaller initials. The illumination consists of a column-wide miniature and a
historiated initial at the beginning of each major section; 23 other historiated initials have
been incorporated in the text.
The first illuminated page of the book strikes us by its somewhat unusual lay-out. The
text begins at the top of the left column with the prologue to the Psalms, which led to the
rather peculiar position of the introductory miniature - David fighting Goliath - at the
bottom of the page. The actual text of the psalm begins at the top of the right column
with a historiated initial in which David, the author of the psalms, is shown playing the
harp. Between the foliage round the text are six curious figures, the size of which is out
of proportion to the rest of the illumination. The lower margin has to the left a musician
with pipe and drum, in the middle a monkey tied to a block, and to the right a fool with a
bauble. The right margin shows three dancers, two men with bells on their legs, and a
woman with a kind of ring in her hand. This dance has recently been recognized as a
morris dance, a folk dance in which several men court the favour of one woman. This
dance, with strong elements of the dumb show and usually featuring a drumming piper
and a fool, was rather popular in Western Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth century.
It remains as yet an open question whether the figures have any connection with the
beginning of the Book of Psalms, or have to be considered mere drolleries.
The golden age of Dutch manuscript painting. Stuttgart 1989, no. 43; Michael
Schauder, "Zur Deutung einer Drolerie in einer niederländischen Historienbibel",
in: Obraz, slowo, gest i muzyka w kulturze s'redniowiecznej Europy. Pozna 1992.
12 Philip the Good
Book of Hours of Philip the Good. Audenarde, c. 1454. Vellum, 328 leaves, 268 x 187
mm.
76 F 2, fol. 143v
The third quarter of the fifteenth century is considered one of the heydays of the
handwritten book in the Southern Netherlands. Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy,
played a prominent role by commissioning various manuscripts for his library. The
majority of these manuscripts were luxuriously executed and richly illuminated by artists
recruited from all parts of his realm. Among the many splendid items made at the time
Philip's personal Book of Hours occupies a special place. It was copied by the scribe,
calligrapher and translator, Jean Miélot, at the time ‘secrétaire aux honneurs’ to the
Duke. Its large and bulky size as well as the unusual texts of the manuscript, such as
the Hours of the days of the week with the corresponding masses, are fitting for its
noble owner. The 165 miniatures illuminating the work were for the greater part
executed by Jean de Tavernier, an illuminator from Audenarde, specialised in grisaille
painting, a painting technique using only shades of white and grey. The miniature
reproduced on the opposite page, representing the Adoration of the Magi, is a fine
example of the delicate atmosphere that can be evoked by this technique. The richly
attired kings, traditionally personifying the three ages of man, approach with their gifts
from the left. To the right the Virgin Mary is seated with the Christ child in her lap before
a four-poster bed with its canopies tied up, which was obviously improvised for the
occasion from some pieces of timber. Joseph and the ox can be seen in the
background. The manuscript was indeed made for Philip the Good as may be deduced
from his motto ‘Aultre naray’ in some places, and from the fact that he himself is
depicted praying in several miniatures.
The manuscript came into the possession of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek as part of the
collection of the Belgian historian G.J. Gérard. He had been curator of the Burgundian
library for a long period of time, and it has been assumed that he allocated a number of
manuscripts, including this Book of Hours, a place in his own library while holding this
office.
Schatten van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1980, no. 45; De
verluchte handschriften en incunabelen van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 'sGravenhage 1985, no. 411; G. Dogaer. Flemish miniature painting in the 15th
and 16th centuries. Amsterdam 1987, p. 71, 76, 159.
13 Jean Fouquet
Book of Hours of Simon de Varie. Paris, 1455; Tours, c. 1455. Vellum, 99 leaves, 116 x
85 mm.
74 G 37a, fol. 1v-2r
The artist Jean Fouquet, who was active in Tours between 1450 and 1480, is
considered the greatest French painter of the fifteenth century. He made several panel
paintings, while ten manuscripts are known of which he executed the decoration either
in full or, in most cases, only in part. Thus he supplied only six miniatures (on either side
of three leaves) for the small Book of Hours, of which two parts are now in the
Koninklijke Bibliotheek and one in the J.Paul Getty Museum in Malibu. The
representation of the Madonna with the Christ child is considered one of the undisputed
masterpieces of the painter's oeuvre. It has an unparalleled atmosphere of tenderness
and intimacy, evoked by the overhanging veil of the Virgin Mary also partly covering the
child's head. Equally noteworthy is the way in which the child puts his little hand on the
edge of the columbine-decorated border, a trompe-l'oeil which creates the illusion of
space between figures and border. The Getty part contains two miniatures in which the
patron, Simon de Varie, a finance official under the French Kings Charles VII and Louis
XI, is depicted kneeling before the enthroned Virgin and child. The decoration of the
actual Book of Hours, consisting of no fewer than 80 miniatures with decorated borders,
was executed by two Paris artists, Master François and the Master of the Dunois Book
of Hours. These artists were specialised in ‘little white books’, small-scale Books of
Hours with white as their predominant colour. The Book of Hours of Simon de Varie also
belongs to this group, as can be seen from the page opposite the representation of the
Virgin Mary. In the garments of Christ walking upon the sea and of the three apostles in
the miniature, as well as in the foliage of the border decoration, white is the dominating
colour.
The Book of Hours was divided into three parts by a seventeenth-century owner,
Philippe de Béthune. One part entered the Koninklijke Bibliotheek in 1816 as part of the
collections of the stadholders; the second part, with the portrait of the Virgin, was
bought in 1890 from the Frankfurt antiquarian bookseller J. Baer. The third part surfaced
in California in 1985 and was purchased by the J.Paul Getty Museum.
F. Avril, "Le destinaire des heures vie à mon desir: Simon de Varie", in: Revue de
l'art 67 (1985), p. 29-40; J.H. Marrow, "Miniatures inédites de Jean Fouquet: Les
heures de Simon de Varie", in: Revue de l'art 67 (1985), p. 3-28; De verluchte
handschriften en incunabelen van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage
1985, no. 76-77; F. Avril et N. Reynaud. Les manuscripts à peintures en France
1440-1520. Parijs 1993, no. 69; James H. Marrow. The Hours of Simon de Varie.
Malibu, London 1994.
14 Chemise binding
Chemise binding. Valencia?, c. 1460.
Contents: Book of Hours. Valencia, c. 1460. Vellum, 167 leaves, 150 x 100 mm.
Provenance: Nico Israel's antiquarian bookshop, Amsterdam, 1988, with support from
the Vereniging Rembrandt, the Friends of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the M.A.O.C.
Gravin van Bylandt Stichting, the Stichting K.F. Hein Fonds and the Stichting Dr.
Hendrik Muller's Vaderlandsch Fonds.
135 J 55, fol. 13v-14r
Dark brown morocco, blind-tooled (inner cover) over wooden boards. Chemise of velvet
(outside), dark brown-carmine fading to lavender-red, and of lavender-red silk (inside)
with trimmings and pellets in red and gold thread; silver fastening. The chemise, of
which the overhanging part is c. 2.5 cm all around, is only tied to the binding by its
fastening.
The chemise binding might be called the refined, textile version of the Hülleneinband.
Instead of one covering (leather or textile) it has two, of which the outer textile covering
has supple flaps all around. The nails of the fastening are the only means of attachment
of the chemise to the binding. As the lining over the insides of the covers continues into
the shoulders, it would be extremely difficult to unfasten the chemise. The second
covering has disappeared in almost all cases and this will certainly be due to the fact
that textile is a very vulnerable material. Its makers may even have foreseen this
problem, and this would explain the blind-tooling on the inner covering of this binding,
which would, of course, only be fully visible without the chemise.
Chemise bindings are even rarer than Hülleneinbände: there are only seven extant
items. Although no Dutch originals have survived, they must have been especially
popular in the Netherlands with the upper middle classes and the nobility. They are
depicted on many panel paintings and miniatures from the Flemish and Northern
Netherlandish school. A good example is the binding held by Mary on the polyptych of
the Adoration of the Lamb in St. Bavon in Ghent, by Jan and Hubert van Eyck.
Chemises are mostly found in the hands of the Virgin and other female saints, which
indicates that the books must have been meant especially for the private worship of
ladies.
The manuscript in the chemise binding is a Book of Hours which, judging from its
decoration, must have been made in Valencia. The miniatures have been executed by
two artists. The most talented of the two painted the Annunciation at the beginning of
the Hours of the Virgin, reproduced here on the opposite page. His style reveals a
strong influence of fifteenth-century Flemish panel painting, as can be seen, for
instance, in the hairstyle - smooth hair across the head and fanning out below - and the
sumptuous hang of the folds in the gowns.
Vriendschap in vereniging. Den Haag 1988, no. 1; J. Storm van Leeuwen, "The
well-shirted bookbinding", in: Theatrum orbis librorum. Liber amicorum presented
to Nico Israel. Utrecht 1989, p. 277-305; Zeldzaam en kostbaar. Den Haag 1992,
no. 3.
16 Golden Fleece
Statuts et armorial de la Toison d'Or. Southern Netherlands, 1468 or shortly after.
Vellum, 86 leaves, 249 x 187 mm.
Provenance: G.J. Gérard collection, 1832.
76 E 10, fol. 5v
In the year 1431 Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, established the Order of the
Golden Fleece, ‘out of respect for God and for the advancement of the Christian faith’.
His major objective, however, was to tighten the bonds between his vassals and friendly
foreign princes and himself through this order. The knights of the Golden Fleece,
originally 31, but gradually extended to 45, met at irregular times at the request of their
sovereign. During these gatherings, in which church services alternated with festivities,
political matters were discussed and new knights elected. On their appointment all
knights received the chain of the order and a copy of the statutes. The Hague Book of
Statutes is unique because it opens with a picture of a Golden Fleece meeting, one of
the oldest depictions extant; moreover it contains the portraits of all the knights, instead
of only those of the sovereigns. The manuscript includes portraits of all members up to
and including the meeting of 1468, and will therefore have been made for one of the
knights elected in that year. At a later date the portraits of those admitted during the
meetings of 1473 and 1478 were added.
The miniature of the meeting shows Charles the Bold, who had succeeded his father
Philip in 1467, seated amongst his knights, under a high green canopy. They all wear
the red robes of the order with the chain of the Golden Fleece around their necks. In the
foreground are the four officers of the order, the Chancellor, the Treasurer, the
Secretary and, standing, the King-of-Arms, who also held the position of Master of
Ceremonies. He is wearing the ‘potence’, the chain of the order containing all the coats
of arms of the members still alive. The fact that six of the ten coats of arms that can be
identified (with the help of a magnifying glass) belong to knights appointed in 1468
testifies that the painter was intent on representing an up-to-date picture.
Schatten van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1980, no. 50; De
verluchte handschriften en incunabelen van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 'sGravenhage 1985, no. 35; Schatten van het Gulden Vlies. Brussel 1987, no. 35.
17 Book of Hours
Book of Hours. Utrecht, c. 1470. Vellum, 265 leaves, 170 x 135 mm.
Provenance: auction of the W.J. Royaards van den Ham collection, 1899.
131 G 4, fol. 69v
One of the most exuberant Northern Netherlandish manuscripts from the second half of
the fifteenth century is this Book of Hours, illuminated by the Master of the Boston City
of God. This master, who was active in Utrecht in the sixties and seventies, derived his
name from the decoration of a copy of St. Augustine's De Civitate Dei, now in the
Boston Public Library. He illuminated about twenty manuscripts, of which the Hague
manuscript is beyond doubt his most striking achievement. It contains seven full-page
miniatures and 28 historiated initials on text pages, all accompanied by opulent
decorated borders. The miniatures illustrating the story of the Passion of Christ are
especially remarkable because of their monumental, linear character. To achieve this
the painter used the compositions of a series of prints by the Master E.S., an engraver
working in the Rhineland between 1450 and 1467. Such copying from woodcuts and
engravings was common practice among Northern Netherlandish illuminators in the
second half of the fifteenth century.
The Boston Master strengthened the outlines of his figures by offsetting them against
large areas of pounced gold. On the Descent from the Cross reproduced here he used
a wide horizontal band in the background, and surrounded the whole miniature by a
gold band. Another remarkable feature of his style is the horror vacui, the filling up of
the whole available space, which creates a dense and overcrowded impression. This is
particularly noticeable in the borders, which are by far the most extraordinary feature of
the manuscript. The nervously curling, brightly coloured acanthus leaves have been
studded with strange elements like mussels, butterflies, half-opened walnuts and
insects, lending a somewhat bizarre character to the illustration.
The manuscript is one of more than a hundred manuscripts purchased at the end of the
nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century during the librarianship of W.G.C.
Byvanck.
Schatten van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1980, no. 76; De
verluchte handschriften en incunabelen van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 'sGravenhage 1985, no. 258; The golden age of Dutch manuscript painting.
Stuttgart 1989, no. 74.
19 Ketelaer and De Leempt
Historia Alexandri Magni. Adapted by Leo Archipresbyter. [Utrecht, Nicolaus Ketelaer
and Gerardus de Leempt, 1474]. 2º, 48 leaves.
Provenance: K.L.Ph. Tross's antiquarian bookshop, Hamm, 1835.
168 E 20, fol. 2r
The Koninklijke Bibliotheek has the largest collection of incunabula printed in the Low
Countries of the whole world. It does not, however, have a copy of the first dated book
printed in the Netherlands, the Historia scholastica by Petrus Comestor, printed in
Utrecht by Nicolaus Ketelaer and Gerardus de Leempt in 1473. Despite its date it is not
a particularly rare incunabulum. In all thirteen copies are known, four of which are in the
Netherlands, for instance in the Rijksmuseum Meermanno-Westreenianum in The
Hague. The nineteenth-century librarians and incunabulists of the Koninklijke
Bibliotheek, Holtrop and Campbell, apparently considered the collection of this museum
as such an integral part of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, that they did not feel the need to
buy a separate copy of this ‘first edition’ for the library itself, although they must certainly
have had the opportunity to do so.
Of 21 out of the 32 printed works attributed to Ketelaer and De Leempt there are one or
more copies in The Hague, either in the collection of the Museum or of the Koninklijke
Bibliotheek, including the Historia Alexandri Magni, the history of the conquests of
Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), King of Macedonia, discussed here. The Middle
Ages took a great interest in Alexander and various adaptations of the text appeared. In
the Netherlands a rhymed version of Alexander's exploits in more than 14,000 lines was
made in the thirteenth century by Jacob van Maerlant. Shortly after the Latin edition by
Ketelaer and De Leempt the first printed Dutch version, Historie van Alexander, was
published in Gouda in 1477.
The historiated initial S on the opposite page shows Alexander controlling Bucephalus,
his horse with the large ox-head. The illuminator painted horse and horseman on their
way to the woods through an opening in the letter S, thus creating a felicitous transition
from the letter to the border decoration.
De vijfhonderdste verjaring van de boekdrukkunst in de Nederlanden. Brussel
1973, p. 90-94; W.P. Gerritsen, "Gheraert Leeu's Historie van Alexander", in: Uit
bibliotheektuin en informatieveld. Opstellen ... Dr. D. Grosheide. Utrecht 1978, p.
138-163; De verluchte handschriften en incunabelen van de Koninklijke
Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1985, no. 521.
27 Book of Hours
Book of Hours. Bruges, 1494. Vellum, 152 leaves, 126 x 91 mm.
74 G 2, fol. 91v-92r
While manuscripts were gradually ousted by printed books in the rest of Europe towards
the end of the fifteenth century, a last, major flowering of hand-written and opulently
illuminated Books of Hours took place in the cities of Bruges and Ghent. A characteristic
feature of the manuscripts produced in these towns are the borders in which separate
branches and flowers seem to have been strewn on the coloured background, with
added shading enhancing the illusionistic effect. Between the foliage birds, butterflies,
insects, and strawberries have often been added, and occasionally even whole
anecdotal scenes. Within the manuscripts with these ‘Ghent-Bruges strewn borders’ a
special place is occupied by a set of some fifteen Books of Hours that must originate
from Bruges. In these books different elements from the strewn borders - flowers, birds,
but also drollery-like figures - have been put individually on the white vellum without the
usual coloured background, in such a way that whenever the book is open, four figures
can be seen. In the Hague Book of Hours belonging to this set we find in the margin
different kinds of roses, columbines, violets, cornflowers, carnations, lilies, thistles,
strawberries, and different kinds of birds, insects and small animals like martens, that
make a deceptively lifelike impression because of the shadows they cast on the vellum.
The pages reproduced here show a rosebud, a manikin playing a bagpipe, a long-tailed
peacock picking the ground, and a butterfly. The beautiful, symmetrical lay-out and the
sophisticated painting technique lend the pages a unique charm.
The manuscript was bought in 1909 as part of the private collection of the bookseller
A.W.M. Mensing, and owes its value also to its unusual binding. As appears from the
inscription lining the panel stamp, the binding was made by Ludovicus Blok, a
bookbinder working in Bruges between 1484 and 1529. The binding is also decorated
with small ornaments of gold and coloured enamel.
Schatten van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 's-Gravenhage 1980, no. 52; De
verluchte handschriften en incunabelen van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 'sGravenhage 1985, no. 431; D. Thoss. Flämische Buchmalerei.
Handschriftenschätze aus dem Burgunderreich. Graz 1987, p. 118; Das BlumenStundenbuch (ed. B. Brinkmann und E. König). Luzern 1991, p. 89-92, 313-316.