Collectie Soeterbeeck

(olim: Soeterbeeck IV 46)

[Manuscript description made by Ester van Mittenburg, autumn 2010]

[INTRODUCTION]

Manuscript Nijmegen, UB, 456 used to be part of the library of the convent of Soeterbeeck. Here, it was categorized as IV 46. The manuscript is an incomplete book of hours in Latin, with the commendation of the dying, and the rituals for the funeral of a sister and the anointing of the sick, which also contains some Dutch texts. Three more folios with prayers (to be read during and after the hours of the Divine Office) and contemplations in Dutch (for the attentive reading of the Hours of the Virgin) have been added at the beginning of the manuscript at a much later date.

[DATE]

1534-44 (Kienhorst 75, on the basis of the pot-shaped watermark in the paper).

[ORIGIN]

See Rubrication and decoration and History.

[MATERIAL]

Paper, 125 folios, 13 x 9.4 cm. The book’s format is octavo. The leaves have been heavily trimmed. The calendar at the beginning of the book is missing. Furthermore, the manuscript is defect at the end with loss of text. Modern foliation in pencil 1-125. Three smaller folios with prayers in Dutch have been glued on to f. 1r of the original manuscript.

[STRUCTURE]

The original medieval manuscript consists of 15 quires (ff. 1-120) which are certainly quaternios. The sixteenth quire (ff. 121-125), presumably also a quaternio, misses some leaves at the end.

[SCRIPT]

Littera hybrida, written in one hand.

[RUBRICATION AND DECORATION]

A painted initial D, set in a red square with white dots, marks the beginning of the Hours of the Virgin (matins, Domine labia mea aperies...). The initial is composed of gold coloured branches, with a green shoot grown into a pink coloured flower on a blue ground in the middle of the letter. Border decoration (also) in the style of the Ghent-Bruges School (‘strewn borders’).
Blue initials with pen flourishing in red ink and yellow and green washes can be found on ff. 15r (beginning of the lauds of the Hours of the Virgin), 19v (prime), 22r (terce), 23v (sext), 25r (none), 26v (vespers), 31v (compline), 35v and 46v (antiphons, versicles and prayers for the proprium de tempore and proprium de sanctis respectively), 70r (penitential psalms), 80v (office of the dead), 98r (commendation for the deceased), and 111v (prayers and instructions in regard to a sick sister on her death bed and for the funeral of a sister). The pen flourishing is in the style of the penwork decorations of the Brethren of the Common Life in Den Bosch, which is shaped like plant ranks with flowers and berries. Most characteristic is, however, the conical gynoecium in fanned leaves (De Beer 36). The pen flourishing in MS 456 is usually merely a rank with some leaves, yet in one instance, f. 80v, the rank is decorated with acorns and, on f. 98r, this is done with flowers. The characteristic gynoecium can be found on ff. 15r, 23v, 25r, 31v, and 98r.
Lombard letters, red alternating with blue, are used as initials and versals for the lower text divisions. The rubrics are in red ink. Furthermore, the Dutch texts have been (partly) underlined in red ink.

[BINDING]

The book’s cover is of a later date. It is made of cardboard, which has been covered with brown leather. Contrary to what Kienhorst (2005) states the boards do not measure 19.5 x 9.6 cm., but 13.5 x 9.6 cm. The spine has five raised bands. The manuscript has red-sprinkled edges. The cover shows some decoration. On the front and back board an embossed frame (blind tooling) can be noted. Furthermore, each of the six compartments created by the raised bands is filled with a branch with three flowers (gold tooling). A light brown tag can be found below the first raised band from the top. A white, blue bordered tag reading "IV HAND / 46 SCHRIFT," i.e. MS IV 46, the book’s original signature, has been applied below the fifth raised band.

[OWNERSHIP NOTE’S]

On the front pastedown, in pencil: Augustina | 17 Nov 1838 Deurzen | 1848 Ravestein | 6 Augustus. Furthermore, it shows the original manuscript signature in red ink (IV 41?), corrected with blue ink to 48 and later to 46. Next to this, an underlined 46 in blue ink has been noted. This last note is probably there to confirm the actual number under which the manuscript used to be filed.

[HISTORY]

The decoration of the manuscripts of the Soeterbeeck collection coming from the workshop of the friars in Den Bosch is usually associated with the convent of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw in de Hage (‘Our lady in The Hage’) in Helmond. The assumption that MS 456 was intended for use by a sister from Helmond (and possibly even written by one) is corroborated by the special attention for St. Augustine and St. Lambert, the order’s patron saint and the patron saint of Helmond respectively.
The manuscript ended up in Soeterbeeck, because the convent in Helmond merged with that of Sint-Annentroon (‘St. Anna’s Throne’) in Rosmalen in 1543. In 1613, seven of the remaining nuns of Sint-Annentroon decided to continue their religious life in Soeterbeeck, near Nuenen, after they had to leave their house in Den Bosch, which they inhabited since 1573.

[CONTENTS]

The manuscript forms a nearly complete book of hours. The only part that is missing is the calendar. Furthermore, the Recommendation of the deceased and rituals for the funeral of a sister and the anointing of the sick, which also contain some Dutch texts, have been added.

ff. 1r-35r	Horae beatae Mariae virginis / Hours of the Virgin (The Little Office of Our Lady)
	- 1r1-13r10:	Matins (inc. DOmine labia aperies...)
	- 13r11-19r19:	Lauds (inc. DEus in adiutorium meum intende...), with (on ff. 18r18-19r19) the Memoriae Sanctorum
	- 20r1-22r12:	Prime (rubric Ad primam on 19v19)
	- 22r13-23v11:	Tierce (rubric Ad terciam on 22r12)
	- 23v12-25r12:	Sext (rubric Ad sextam)
	- 25r13-26v13:	None (rubric Ad nonam on 25r12)
	- 26v14-31r12:	Vespers (rubric Ad vesperas), with (on ff. 30r10-31r12) the Memoriae Sanctorum
	- 31r13-35r19:	Compline (rubric Ad completorium on 31r12)
ff. 35v-46r	Antiphons, versicles and prayers for the proprium de tempore (rubric on 35r19-35v1: In | adventu domini nostri Jhesu Christi ad magnificat)
ff. 46v-69v	Antiphons, versicles and prayers for the proprium de sanctis (rubric on 46v1: De sancto andrea apostoli Antiphona)
ff. 70r-80v11	Septem psalmi poenitentiales / Seven Penitential Psalms (Psalms of Confession; rubric on 69v17: Incipiunt septem psalmi penetencialis)
	- 70r1-70v6:	Psalm 6 (Inc. Domine ne in furore ... miserere)
	- 70v7-71r14:	Psalm 32 (31) (Inc. Beati quorum...)
	- 71r15-72v3:	Psalm 38 (37) (Inc. Domine ne in furore ... quoniam)
	- 72v4-73v2:	Psalm 51 (50) (Inc. Miserere ... secundum magnam)
	- 73v3-74v17:	Psalm 102 (101) (Inc. Domine exaudi ... et clamor)
	- 74v18-75r11:	Psalm 130 (129) (Inc. De profundis...)
	- 75r12-76r3:	Psalm 143 (142) (Inc. Domine exaudi ... auribus percipe)
	- 76r4-80v11:	Litania Sanctorum / Litany of Saints (rubric on 76r3: Letanie) and collects
ff. 80v12-97v	Vigiliae defunctorum / Office of the dead (rubric on 80v12: Incipiunt vigilie defunctorum. psalmus)
	- 80v13-92v19:	Matins
	- 93r1-97v16:	Lauds
ff. 98r-111r17	Commendatio defunctorum / Commendation of the deceased (rubric on f. 97v17: Sequitur commendacio defunctorum.)
ff. 111r18-125v	Prayers and instructions for when a sister is mortally ill, for the funeral of a sister and the anointing of the sick, followed by a shorter litany (rubric on 123r16: Letanie) and collects
125v18-19	In adventu domini nostri Jesu Christi de | dominica in primis vesperis. Ymnus.

[CONTEMPORARY CORRECTIONS AND ADJUSTMENTS]

In the original manuscript a few contemporary insertions have been made. The first of these can be found on f. 17v19, where liberati has been added below the line in light brown ink and is inserted between nostrorum and serviamus by a red insertion mark; The word Propheta has probably been added at the end of line 18r2; placed between puer and altissimi with a red insertion mark. Corrections inserted by a black insertion mark are: ego servus tuus (100v17, by mistake, between ego servus tuus and et filius ancille tue), non (103v11, between tua and sum) and tuorum (103v13, between mandatorum and cucurri). To the right of f.40r1 the faded remnants of what probably used to say da famulis, replacing intercedentibus omnibus sanctis. To the left of f.41r12-13, the scribe wrote tue, to the right of f.72v12 enim, above f.112r10 in between tres and iudicium and above f.114r16 eam between te|gat and chaos.

From f. 110v through 122r in the Latin prayers, an alternative form (usually masculine) has been written above the line: 110v16 fratris nostri over sororis nostre, 111v1 i over e (famule tue), 112r14 quem over quam, 112r17 tus over ta (insignata), 113r12 servo over ancilla, 113r13 tuo over tua and to over ta (defuncta), 113r14 i over e (que), 113r15 illum over illa, 113v10 i over e (famule tue), 113v18 i over e (care nostre), 113v19 quem over quam, 114r2 i over e (famule tue), 115v3 i over e (famu|le tue), 115v14 i over e (care nostre), 115v15 e over a (quam), 115v17 u over a (eam), 116r1 u over a (eam), 116r2 u over second a (collocandam), 116r7 u over a (eam), 118r3 ancille tua over servo tuo, 118v12 e over i (cari nostre), 119r3 servo over ancilla, tua over tuo (eam), 119v4 famuli over ancilla, tui over tua, 119v7 tus over ta (recuscita|ta), 121r14 hunc over hanc, famulum over ancillam, tuum over tuam, 121r16 and 121v4 famulum over ancillam, tuum over tuam, 121v9 nostrum over nostrum, 121v14 and 121r1 famulo over ancillo, tuo over tue, 122r8 hunc famulum tuum over hanc ancillam tuam, and 122r10 eo over ea; and on f. 119r3 animas over animam, eorum over eis.

[POST-MEDIEVAL CORRECTIONS, RESTORATIONS, AND INSERTIONS]

The first five pages of the additional three folios at the beginning of the manuscript are in Dutch and include prayers for the beginning of the hours of the day: Gebedt voor de dag Getijden te | spreecken. Furthermore, it lists contemplations for the attentive reading of the Hours of the Virgin: Consideratien om aandachtelijk | de getijden van onze lieve vrouwe | te leezen. Lastly, it includes a prayer for after reading the hours: Gebedt na het lezen der dag | getijden. Expl.: en zalig zijn de borsten die Chris|tus den heere heeft gesoogen. | onsen vader weest gegroet, [obliterated letters] | N:D:M:

Probably the same person wrote the worn-off text of the heavily thumb-marked leaves of the Hours of the Virgin on the strip of paper which covers the margin of f. 1r: venite exultemus domine | jubilemus deo salutari | nostro preocupemus | faciem eius in Confessi|one et in psalmis.

Secondly, there are the post-medieval alterations, corrections and additions:

8r12-13	alteration in black ink on a strip of white paper: Stella Maria mare \se/cure [obliterated word: mal..] | piisma nobis. Cf. Hs 458 f. 9v5-6: Stella maria maris succurre pijssima nobis.
8v10	interlinear addition in brown ink: adque inestimabili inserted between Hec enim mirabili and modo; regum corrected form of rerum. Cf. Hs 458 f. 10r6-7: Hec enim mirabili atque inestimabili modo omnium rerum...
8v17	addition in brown ink at the end of the line, after credidisto: domine. Cf. Hs 458 f. 10r15-16: Beata es virgo maria dei genitrix que credidisti domino perficientur...
11r5-6	alteration in black ink written on a strip of white paper: Jesus Mariæ filius sit nobis Clemens | et propicius. Cf. Hs 458 f. 12v16-18: Jhesus marie filius sit nobis clemens et propicius Amen.
21v	At the bottom of the page, three lines in pencil have been added: Qui vivis et regnas deus | per omnia secula | seculorum Amen. (Also some letters in pencil at the bottom of f. 96v.)
30r10	marginal cross in brown ink with to the right of it a squiggle, next to the rubric De sancta crucis [sic] ad vesperas Antiphona.
76r16	addition in the Litany of Saints, Joseph, after Sancte Johannes baptista.

[LITERATURE]

Beer, Richard de. "De verluchting van de Soeterbeeckse handschriften." Rijkdom in Eenvoud: Laatmiddeleeuwse Handschriften uit Klooster Soeterbeeck. Ed. Hans Kienhorst et al. Rotterdam: Nijmegen UP, 2005. 31-39.
Kienhorst, Hans. "Catalogus van de Handschriften." Rijkdom in Eenvoud. 49-145.