Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts

Book of Hours
France, Saint-Omer, between 1320 and 1329
MS M.754 fol. 71v

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Christ: Deposition -- Christ, cross-nimbed, eyes closed, wearing long loin cloth, with His right hand grasped by Virgin Mary, nimbed, veiled, Joseph of Arimathea supporting His body, and Nicodemus kneeling, with pincers extracting nail from His feet on green cross with titulus inscribed INRI; to right, Evangelist John, nimbed, with right hand raised and book in left hand.
Scene against gold diapered background, within cinquefoil arch of crocketed gable with finial, and pinnacles, overlapping initial D decorated with interlace, within diapered panel.
Beginning of first versicle of Vespers of Long Hours of the Cross / Hours of the Passion.
Initial I decorated with hybrid bird, at beginning of Psalm 126 (Vulg., 125), In conuertendo dominus capitiuitatem syon.
Margins decorated with foliate stems, balls, and bottom bar of scrolling foliage.
Margin, upper, inhabited by hybrid animal wearing flat hood.
Margin, left, inhabited by bird, male donor, wearing cap, kneeling with joined hands raised in prayer, on initial descender, and hybrid (?, trimmed by binder).
Margin, lower, inhabited by man seated, putting on stilts, and hybrid rabbit with long beak; below, fish overlapped by bird, and winged hybrid man.
Margin, right, inhabited by female donor, wearing headdress, kneeling with joined hands raised in prayer, beside dog.
Line ending decorated.