DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.28460#0163
138 'Early German and Flemish Woodcuts.—Part I.
evident that Janus Toloplius, or perhaps Celtis on his behalf, had indicated precisely
to the artist how the mythological allusions were to be introduced, and had left him
no liberty of invention, so that the result was rather a diagram than a picture.
“ Hercules G-ermanicus ” was a title which found favour with Maximilian himself.
A 142 (1-34).
MS. DOMINICAN PRAYER-BOOK, CONTAINING TIIIRTY-FOUR
WOODCUTS.
Nuremberg. Before 1461.
! I. The Book. The MS. (small 8vo on vellum) is in Latin, with the exception of a
few ruhrics in normal South German dialect. It has no title, and the divisions of the
book are not clearly marked; it may perhaps best be described as a breviary of irregular
construction, intended for a religious community, not for private use. It is written by
two hands, the second of which has contributed the last 76 pages, containing chiefly the
“ proper of saints,” and various corrections and insertions in the earlier portion of the
hook. There are also a few trifling additions hy later hands. The woodcuts are all in
the earlier and larger portion of the book which was written by the first hand. Con-
-clusions can be drawn with approximate certainty as to the place and time of its origin,
A. Place.
(1) The convent for which the book was written was Dominican.
The Kalendar contains the following red-letter days referring to
Dominican saints :
Jan. 28.—Translation of St. Thomas Aquinas.
March 7.—St. Tliomas Aquinas (with octave).
April 5.—St. Vincent (with octave).
April 29.—St. Peter Martyr.
May 7.—Translation of St. Peter Martyr. (Grotefend, “ Handbuch
der historischen Chronologie,” p. 114, quotes this festival as peculiar to
the Dominicans, but dates it 4th June. The Dominican Breviary, printed
at Nuremberg 1488, places it on 7th May, as here.)
May 24.—Translation of St. Dominic.
Aug. 5.—St. Dominic (“ Dominici confessoris patris nostri,” with octave).
At the opening of the book a prayer to the Virgin is followed imme-
diately by prayers addressed to the same four Dominican saints. In the
two litanies later on St. Peter is invoked as the latest of the Martyrs, while
St. Dominic (invoked twice), St. Thomas and St. Vincent are plaeed among
the doctors and confessors. St. Dominic is invoked elsewhere as “ dux et
pater noster.” The form of confession is “ Confiteor Deo et beatae Mariae et
beato Dominico et omnibus sanctis,” etc. Another special day in the
Kalendar is
Oct. 10.—Anniversarium fratrum et sororum ordinis (black-letter).
(2) It was a convent of nuns.
This is shown by the following rubrics: So md die disciplin nypt der couet
spricht, Confiteor. Die Woclineri, Misereatur. Die Wocliin, Misereatur vri.
Tt.xJk.Pr. nr. Et ne. V. Saluos (sic) fac acillas tuas, etc. Wochnerin
(=Wochin?) is the feminine of Wochner, the German equivalent of
Hebdomadarius, the monk on duty for the week.
(3) The convent was dedicated to St. Catherine.
Her festival, Nov. 25, is a red-letter day, wbereas others of theprincipal
Virgins, e.g. St. Barbara, are black-letter saints in this Kalendar. A
prayer to her follows tbose addressed to tlie Virgin and the four Dominican
saints at tlie beginning of the book. A woodcut of the marriage of St.
Catherine follows the first two subjects, the Annuuciation and Visitation.
Her name, like St. Dominic’s, is iuvoked twice in the Litany. Lastly, at the
end of the book, a later liand (clearly a nun’s) has added a liymn :
“ Vd d’ Heilige wirdige grossen martrerin sant Kath’ina.
Gemma dei preciosa, margarita fulgula,
******
Ora pro me peccatrice apud regem glorix,
Cuius fulges claritate, ut sol in meridie.” (Then a prayer.)
evident that Janus Toloplius, or perhaps Celtis on his behalf, had indicated precisely
to the artist how the mythological allusions were to be introduced, and had left him
no liberty of invention, so that the result was rather a diagram than a picture.
“ Hercules G-ermanicus ” was a title which found favour with Maximilian himself.
A 142 (1-34).
MS. DOMINICAN PRAYER-BOOK, CONTAINING TIIIRTY-FOUR
WOODCUTS.
Nuremberg. Before 1461.
! I. The Book. The MS. (small 8vo on vellum) is in Latin, with the exception of a
few ruhrics in normal South German dialect. It has no title, and the divisions of the
book are not clearly marked; it may perhaps best be described as a breviary of irregular
construction, intended for a religious community, not for private use. It is written by
two hands, the second of which has contributed the last 76 pages, containing chiefly the
“ proper of saints,” and various corrections and insertions in the earlier portion of the
hook. There are also a few trifling additions hy later hands. The woodcuts are all in
the earlier and larger portion of the book which was written by the first hand. Con-
-clusions can be drawn with approximate certainty as to the place and time of its origin,
A. Place.
(1) The convent for which the book was written was Dominican.
The Kalendar contains the following red-letter days referring to
Dominican saints :
Jan. 28.—Translation of St. Thomas Aquinas.
March 7.—St. Tliomas Aquinas (with octave).
April 5.—St. Vincent (with octave).
April 29.—St. Peter Martyr.
May 7.—Translation of St. Peter Martyr. (Grotefend, “ Handbuch
der historischen Chronologie,” p. 114, quotes this festival as peculiar to
the Dominicans, but dates it 4th June. The Dominican Breviary, printed
at Nuremberg 1488, places it on 7th May, as here.)
May 24.—Translation of St. Dominic.
Aug. 5.—St. Dominic (“ Dominici confessoris patris nostri,” with octave).
At the opening of the book a prayer to the Virgin is followed imme-
diately by prayers addressed to the same four Dominican saints. In the
two litanies later on St. Peter is invoked as the latest of the Martyrs, while
St. Dominic (invoked twice), St. Thomas and St. Vincent are plaeed among
the doctors and confessors. St. Dominic is invoked elsewhere as “ dux et
pater noster.” The form of confession is “ Confiteor Deo et beatae Mariae et
beato Dominico et omnibus sanctis,” etc. Another special day in the
Kalendar is
Oct. 10.—Anniversarium fratrum et sororum ordinis (black-letter).
(2) It was a convent of nuns.
This is shown by the following rubrics: So md die disciplin nypt der couet
spricht, Confiteor. Die Woclineri, Misereatur. Die Wocliin, Misereatur vri.
Tt.xJk.Pr. nr. Et ne. V. Saluos (sic) fac acillas tuas, etc. Wochnerin
(=Wochin?) is the feminine of Wochner, the German equivalent of
Hebdomadarius, the monk on duty for the week.
(3) The convent was dedicated to St. Catherine.
Her festival, Nov. 25, is a red-letter day, wbereas others of theprincipal
Virgins, e.g. St. Barbara, are black-letter saints in this Kalendar. A
prayer to her follows tbose addressed to tlie Virgin and the four Dominican
saints at tlie beginning of the book. A woodcut of the marriage of St.
Catherine follows the first two subjects, the Annuuciation and Visitation.
Her name, like St. Dominic’s, is iuvoked twice in the Litany. Lastly, at the
end of the book, a later liand (clearly a nun’s) has added a liymn :
“ Vd d’ Heilige wirdige grossen martrerin sant Kath’ina.
Gemma dei preciosa, margarita fulgula,
******
Ora pro me peccatrice apud regem glorix,
Cuius fulges claritate, ut sol in meridie.” (Then a prayer.)