Illuminated guide to Christian prayer

A breviary is a book that contains references to the liturgical texts and chants to be used for the Liturgy of the Hours. This page comes from a fifteenth-century manuscript breviary that probably belonged to the Augustine monastery of Nieuwe Nonnen in Amsterdam, dedicated to Saint Denis.

Potential research ideas

The breviary could prompt theological research. For example, you could try to find out about aspects of devotional manuscripts and how they impacted on the religious experiences of laymen. Or, you could explore ideas and practices around religious piety. However, there are other directions that research could take. The breviary is illustrated so you could choose to focus on the illuminations. What do you think they say about visual culture in the Middle Ages? Often, medieval manuscripts are illustrated with depictions of fantastic or mythological beasts so you might want to explore whether these illustrations were created for entertainment or whether they carry symbolism. Another direction your research could take is a look at manuscript culture. How were medieval manuscripts made? Was it only devotional manuscripts that were created, or, were other subjects written about in this form? Do we have any evidence relating to the ways in which manuscripts were distributed? And used by their owners? Did owners customise their manuscripts in the ways that printed books would later be customised, for example, through annotation, doodling, etc.?

Selected background reading

• Hughes, A., 1982. Medieval manuscripts for mass and office: a guide to their organization and terminology. Toronto; Buffalo: U of Toronto P. – A guide to liturgical manuscripts.
• Valerntine, L.N. 1965. Ornament in medieval manuscripts: a glossary. London: Faber & Faber. – A guide to illuminations in medieval manuscripts.
• Edwards, A.S.G., 2002. Decoration and illustration in Medieval English manuscripts. London: British Library. – Ornamentation and illustration in English medieval manuscripts.
• Rudy, K.M., 2016. Piety in pieces: how medieval readers customized their manuscripts. [Online] Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1g04zd3. (Accessed 17/07/2020). – Ways in which scribes and owners added material to their manuscripts.
• De Hamel, C., 2018. Meetings with remarkable manuscripts. London: Penguin. – European medieval manuscripts.

What can I find here in Special Collections?

• Seminar in the History of the Book to 1500, Oxford, July 1988, 1990. Medieval book production: assessing the evidence: proceedings of the Second Conference of the Seminar in the History of the Book to 1500, Oxford, July 1988. Los Altos Hills, Calif.: Anderson-Lovelace. 20^th Coll. 091 MED, 20^th Century Collection, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186. – Book history.
• Smith Williams, H., 190-? The history of the art of writing: a series of 97 magnificent plates, reproductions in tone and colour of inscriptions, muniments, illuminated and other manuscripts, etc. from the remotest past up to the present day: comprising selections from the masterpieces of oriental, classical, mediaeval and modern writings from the important languages of every age. Cambridge: W. Heffer. 20^th Coll. 417 WIL, 20^th Century Collection, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186. – Palaeography and writing.
• Thompson, H.Y., 1902. A lecture on some English illuminated manuscripts. London: Chiswick P. B745.2 THO, Bell (Gertrude) Collection, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186. – Illuminated manuscripts.
• Humphreys, H.N., 1849. The art of illumination and missal painting: a guide to modern illuminators, illustrated by a series of specimens, from richly illuminated MSS. of various periods, accompanied by a set of outlines, to be coloured by the student according to the theories developed in the work. London: H.G. Bohn. Friends 311, Friends Collection, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186. – How illumination has developed.

What can I find elsewhere?

• The British Library has one of the finest collections of illuminated manuscripts in the world. The catalogue includes introductions to the manuscripts of specific periods. For example, 1400-1600 when historical and literary texts were produced as well as devotional works, to meet the interests of new secular patrons.
• Durham University Library is rich in medieval manuscripts, many of which form part of Bishop Cosin’s collection. Items include:
  • DUL MS Cosin V.I.2 Breviarium sec. usum Ebor., cum notis, defect. s. xv med.
• Bodleian makes collections held in the Bodleian Library, Oxford available online. You can search by keyword, filter by collection or look at the collections that are curated on the homepage, such as Western Manuscripts or Medieval and Renaissance Manuscript Illumination.

Interested in Medieval manuscripts?

The breviary belongs to a small collection of Medieval Manuscripts. These manuscripts include theology, science and poetry. For example, we have a fifteenth-century manuscript with the Triumphs of Francesco Petrarca [i.e. Petrarch] in volgare which was the dialect of Latin that was used in Florence. It closely resembles the modern Italian language that is spoken today.

One of the most extraordinary medieval manuscripts in Newcastle University Library’s Special Collections is found in the Robinson (Philip and Marjorie) Collection: the Petre Gradual. It is a fourteenth-century miniated (i.e. rubricated) manuscript with notated music and later additions. It was recently rediscovered and sung in Newcastle after centuries of silence.