Medieval Manuscripts in the d'Alzon Library: 6. Dutch prayer book leaf

Origin: Augustinian Convent of St. Agnes in Delft, ca. 1450 (according to information provided by the Illuminated Manuscript Company)

Provenance: 2010 Tagaste program purchase from the Illuminated Manuscript Company in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. 

Physical description: 13 x 18 cm. Gothic textualis. Red rubrics; alternating red and blue lombards.

Further information: With the growth of lay devotion in the Late Middle Ages came the development of vernacular Books of Hours. In the Netherlands in the 15th century, production of these manuscripts flourished. Middle Dutch Books of Hours relied on the translation of Latin texts into the vernacular by Geert Groote (1340-1384), a founder of the Devotio Moderna movement. This movement, which emphasized devotion to God through a life of simplicty and humility, helped provide the impetus for the founding of the Convent of St. Agnes in Delft in the late 14th century. Per the ideals of Devotio Moderna, the production of prayer books was a suitable exercise of piety. Accordingly, the codex from which this leaf was taken was probably written by a nun of St. Agnes. The monastery was closed during the Protestant Reformation in the mid-16th century; after that, the codex would have fallen into private hands.

The rubrics on this leaf help provide context to those unfamiliar with Middle Dutch. The first rubric on the recto side introduces a prayer to Saint "Agnieta" (Agnes) and describes her martyrdom as she "stont int midden der vlam[m]e[n]" (stood in the middle of the flames) and called on God. This is followed by a collect. The verso side contains a prayer "van onser vrouwen" (of Our Lady), the Virgin Mary.