The Taymouth Hours (Yates Thompson MS 13) is an
illuminated
Illuminated may refer to:
* "Illuminated" (song), by Hurts
* Illuminated Film Company, a British animation house
* ''Illuminated'', alternative title of Black Sheep (Nat & Alex Wolff album)
* Illuminated manuscript
See also
* Illuminate (disambi ...
Book of Hours
The book of hours is a Christian devotional book used to pray the canonical hours. The use of a book of hours was especially popular in the Middle Ages and as a result, they are the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscrip ...
produced in England in about 1325–35. It is named after
Taymouth Castle
Taymouth Castle is situated to the north-east of the village of Kenmore, Perth and Kinross, in the Highlands of Scotland, in an estate which encompasses 450 acres. It lies on the south bank of the River Tay, about a mile from Loch Tay, in the ...
where it was kept after being acquired by an
Earl of Breadalbane in the seventeenth or eighteenth century.
[Detailed record for Yates Thompson 13](_blank)
British Library Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts The manuscript's shelf mark originates from its previous owner,
Henry Yates Thompson
Henry Yates Thompson (15 December 1838 – 8 July 1928) was a British newspaper proprietor and collector of illuminated manuscripts.
Life and career
Yates Thompson was the eldest of five sons born to Samuel Henry Thompson, a banker from a lead ...
, who owned an extensive collection of illuminated medieval manuscripts which he sold or donated posthumously to the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
.
The Taymouth Hours is now held by the British Library Department of Manuscripts in the Yates Thompson collection.
Most pages have a ''bas-de-page'' illustration, often accompanied by a caption in
Anglo-Norman French
Anglo-Norman, also known as Anglo-Norman French ( nrf, Anglo-Normaund) ( French: ), was a dialect of Old Norman French that was used in England and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere in Great Britain and Ireland during the Anglo-Norman period.
When ...
or
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
. A few have bilingual captions that include
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...
. During this period in Medieval England, Anglo-Norman would have been the language most commonly spoken by affluent and royal families.
The illustrations include both sacred and secular scenes. Picture-narratives of the stories of
Bevis of Hampton
Bevis of Hampton ( fro, Beuve(s) or or ; Anglo-Norman: ; it, Buovo d'Antona) or Sir Bevois, was a legendary English hero and the subject of Anglo-Norman, Dutch, French, English, Venetian,Hasenohr, 173–4. and other medieval metrical chival ...
(ff. 8v–12) and
Guy of Warwick
Guy of Warwick, or Gui de Warewic, is a legendary English hero of Romance popular in England and France from the 13th to 17th centuries. The story of Sir Guy is considered by scholars to be part of the Matter of England.''Boundaries in medieval r ...
(ff. 12v–17) appear at the beginning of the text, while below the Matins of the
Hours of the Virgin
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as Hours of the Virgin, is a liturgical devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, in imitation of, and usually in addition to, the Divine Office in the Catholic Church. It is a cycle of psalms, ...
(ff. 60v–67v) are fifteen scenes depicting a tale of a damsel captured by a
wild man
The wild man, wild man of the woods, or woodwose/wodewose is a mythical figure that appears in the art and literature of medieval Europe, comparable to the satyr or faun type in classical mythology and to '' Silvanus'', the Roman god of the woodl ...
.
History
Possible Patrons/Intended Owners
There have been numerous attempts to identify the book's patron and original intended owner. It has been speculated that the patron and destinee was
Isabella of France
Isabella of France ( – 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France (), was Queen of England as the wife of King Edward II, and regent of England from 1327 until 1330. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving ...
, wife of
Edward II
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...
, or that the book may have been made for one of their daughters,
Joan of the Tower.
[Smith, Kathryn (2012). ''The Taymouth Hours: Stories and the Construction of the Self in Late Medieval England.'' Toronto: University of Toronto Press.] Other scholars have speculated that
Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault (sometimes spelled Hainaut; Middle French: ''Philippe de Hainaut''; 24 June 1310 (or 1315) – 15 August 1369) was Queen of England as the wife and political adviser of King Edward III. She acted as regent in 1346,Strickla ...
, wife of
Edward III
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
, son of Isabella and Edward II, was the original intended owner.
Illustrations of a crowned woman are featured on four different pages of the book (ff. 7r, 18r, 118v, and 139r), serving as the initial indication of a royal patron and/or recipient.
The quality of illustrations and impressive materials such as gold leaf also point to an aristocratic patronage.
The Taymouth Hours is one of two English books of hours made between 1240 and 1350 with links to royal patronage; thus it exemplifies a higher level of craftsmanship compared to other books of hours assumed to have been owned by affluent, secular individuals.
The most puzzling piece of the question of patronage and intended ownership is the inclusion of two illustrations that depict crowned women kneeling in prayer, each with a male companion: one of the men is bare-headed while the other wears a crown.
Isabella of France
Previous scholarship has traditionally hypothesised that Isabella of France was the patron due, in part, to evidence of or arguments for her ownership and patronage of various other illuminated manuscripts.
The proposed dating of the book falls within Isabella's reign as Queen of England.
Philippa of Hainault
Kathryn Smith makes the case that Philippa of Hainault, wife of Edward III, was the patron of the Taymouth Hours, instead.
She argues that Philippa had the book made sometime c. 1331 not for herself, but rather as a "betrothal gift" for her sister-in-law, Eleanor of Woodstock.
In 1331, while still living at the English court, Eleanor was betrothed to
Reginald II of Guelders.
Smith's hypothesis derives, in part, from her analysis of Philippa's relationship to Eleanor prior to her marriage to Reginald. Philippa had been Eleanor's guardian since 1328.
Eleanor's betrothal and marriage were arranged beginning in 1330 by her brother, Edward III, in an effort to advance his political connections to the Low Countries; the union also may have been aided by Philippa's mother, Jeanne de Valois, wife of William III, Count of Hainault.
Eleanor and Reginald were wed in May of 1332.
Smith also builds her hypothesis on analyses of the "portraits" in the manuscript, especially the crowned and wimpled woman wearing a translucent veil and the uncrowned man portrayed at Matins of the Holy Spirit (fol. 18r), figures which, Smith hypothesises, were intended to represent Eleanor of Woodstock and Reginald II of Guelders; and the crowned, wimpled woman and crowned man shown in the 'bas-de-page' at Matins of the Cross (fol. 118v); Smith suggests that these figures were meant to represent Philippa of Hainault and Edward III.
One of Smith's main textual sources is an entry in Philippa's Wardrobe Book of the Household from October 1331, which records a payment to the artist Richard of Oxford.
The entry notes Philippa's payment for two Books of Hours. Smith proposes that the Taymouth Hours might have been one of these books, and that this dated entry supports the theory that Philippa commissioned the Taymouth Hours as a "betrothal gift" for Eleanor. While Smith argues that the manuscript was intended for Eleanor, she maintains that it is "unknown" whether Eleanor "actually took possession of" it.
Purpose
Books of hours were Christian devotional collections, usually containing psalms, prayers, and illustrations.
They resembled
Psalter
A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the emergence of the book of hours in the Late Middle Ages, psalters we ...
s in form and function, but were condensed and personalised. The purpose of these books were to provide private owners with prayer materials, which could be read and recited during certain times of the day, month, season, and liturgical year.
Many of the patrons of books of hours held secular positions in society, and therefore had a need for individual prayer books to practice their faith at home.
As is the case of the Taymouth Hours, books of hours were customised to fit the aesthetic desires of the patron.
English books of hours have also been referred to by the term 'primers', taken from the Middle English word for books of hours.
This second name is exclusive to books of hours made in England, and has been exemplified in examples of books of hours, simpler, less ornate prayer collections, and children's religious literature.
Typical of many other book of hours of the time period, the Taymouth hours contains a calendar, illustrations of the
zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the Sun path, apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. ...
, the Latin offices, the
Penitential Psalms
The Penitential Psalms or Psalms of Confession, so named in Cassiodorus's commentary of the 6th century AD, are the Psalms Psalm 6, 6, Psalm 32, 31, Psalm 38, 37, Psalm 51, 50, Psalm 102, 101, Psalm 130, 129, and Psalm 143, 142 (6, 32, 38, 51, 102 ...
, Gradual Psalms, the
Litany of Saints
The Litany of the Saints (Latin: ''Litaniae Sanctorum'') is a formal prayer of the Roman Catholic Church as well as the Old Catholic Church, Anglo-Catholic communities, and Western Rite Orthodox communities. It is a prayer to the Triune God, whi ...
, and the
Office of the Dead
The Office of the Dead or Office for the Dead (in Latin, Officium Defunctorum) is a prayer cycle of the Canonical Hours in the Catholic Church, Anglican Church and Lutheran Church, said for the repose of the soul of a decedent. It is the proper r ...
.
Illustrations
The pages of the book exemplify ''bas-de-page'' illustrations, meaning that the visual work is positioned at the bottom of the page and below a block of text.
384 illustration scenes are featured in the lower margin of the book.
Kathryn Smith identifies the manuscript's use of a frame border made out of marginal illustrations as a design element derived from contemporary French illuminated manuscripts.
This illustrated border completely surrounds the text. The beginnings of the various devotional texts are presented to the reader by display pages with miniature marginal illustrations.
![Taymouth Hours - BL YT13 f14r (Guy of Warwick)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Taymouth_Hours_-_BL_YT13_f14r_%28Guy_of_Warwick%29.jpg)
Marginal scenes with religious prayer text written in
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to:
*Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066
* Anglo-Norman language
**Anglo-Norman literature
* Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...
make up the body of secular illustrations in the Taymouth Hours. The story of
Bevis of Hampton
Bevis of Hampton ( fro, Beuve(s) or or ; Anglo-Norman: ; it, Buovo d'Antona) or Sir Bevois, was a legendary English hero and the subject of Anglo-Norman, Dutch, French, English, Venetian,Hasenohr, 173–4. and other medieval metrical chival ...
, the protagonist of an English verse romance tale, is transposed visually on the folio pages 8v to 12. Originally composed in the early thirteenth century in French, the tale of Bevis of Hampton was a popular
Matter of England
''Matter of England'', romances of English heroes and romances derived from English legend are terms that 20th century scholars have given to a loose corpus of Medieval literature''Medieval insular romance: translation and innovation'', Judith Weis ...
romance that has stood the test of time and is the only English verse romance that never had to be rediscovered. Another Matter of England romance character seen on folio pages 12v to 17 is
Guy of Warwick
Guy of Warwick, or Gui de Warewic, is a legendary English hero of Romance popular in England and France from the 13th to 17th centuries. The story of Sir Guy is considered by scholars to be part of the Matter of England.''Boundaries in medieval r ...
, a figure who takes on a similar literary role such as Bevis of Hampton.
Both secular poems were extremely popular at the proposed time of construction of the Taymouth Hours, and have appeared in other manuscripts up until the early 16th century.
Kathryn Smith points to the inclusion of these popular Matter of England characters in the manuscript as suiting the idea of Eleanor of Woodstock as the book's original intended recipient, because Guy of Warwick and Bevis of Hampton were "quintessentially English" in their characterisation and could have served as a "comforting reminder of home" for Eleanor, had she ever received the manuscript and had she taken it with her to her adoptive land.
References
Correct publisher of Kathryn A. Smith's book is The British Library. Therefore, under "References," number 6 should read as follows:
Smith, Kathryn A. (2012). The Taymouth Hours: Stories and the Construction of the Self in Late Medieval England. London: The British Library
ISBN: ISBN 9780712358699
("Toronto: University of Toronto Press" is incorrect and should be deleted)
NOTE that the publication information is both correct and complete in the "Sources" section, below.
Sources
* Lord, Carla, and Carol Lewine. "Introduction: Secular Imagery in Medieval Art." ''Source: Notes in the History of Art'', 33, no. 3/4, 2014. www.jstor.org/stable/23725944.
* Sandler, Lucy Freedman. "The Study of Marginal Imagery: Past, Present, and Future." ''Studies in Iconography 18'', 1997. www.jstor.org/stable/23924068.
* Doyle, Maeve, Kinney, Dale, Armstrong, Grace, Easton, Martha, Hertel, Christiane, Perkinson, Stephen, and Walker, Alicia. ''The Portrait Potential: Gender, Identity, and Devotion in Manuscript Owner Portraits, 1230-1320'', 2015, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.
* Partner, Nancy F. ''Studying Medieval Women: Sex, Gender, Feminism''. Cambridge, Mass.: Medieval Academy of America, 1993.
* Smith, Kathryn A. Art, Identity and Devotion in Fourteenth-Century England: Three Women and Their Books of Hours. London: The British Library, 2003.
*Runde, Emily. “The Taymouth Hours: Stories and the Construction of the Self in Late Medieval England.” ''Comitatus: A Journal of Medieval & Renaissance Studies'' 44 (September 2013): 336–39. doi:10.1353/cjm.2013.0054.
*Rudy, Kathryn M. ''Piety in Pieces: How Medieval Readers Customized Their Manuscripts''. Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers, 2016. Accessed March 25, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1g04zd3.
*"Front Matter." ''The British Museum Quarterly'' 16, no. 1 (1951): Iv. Accessed March 25, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/4422287.
*Kennedy, Kathleen E. "Reintroducing the English Books of Hours, or "English Primers"." ''Speculum'' 89, no. 3 (2014): 693-723. Accessed March 25, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/43577033.
* Loomis, Roger Sherman. "A Phantom Tale of Female Ingratitude", ''Modern Philology'', Volume 14, 1917, 750-55.
* Brownrigg, Linda. "The Taymouth Hours and the Romance of Bevis of Hampton." ''English Manuscript Studies 1100-1700'', Volume 1, 1989, 222-41.
* Camille, Michael. ''Image on the Edge: The Margins of Medieval Art''. London: Reaktion Books, 1992.
* Brantley, Jessica. "Images of the Vernacular in the Taymouth Hours", in ''Decoration and Illustration in Medieval English Manuscripts, English Manuscript Studies 1100-1700, 10''. London: British Library, 2002, pp. 83–113.
* Stanton, Anne Rudloff. "Turning the Pages: Marginal Narratives and Devotional Practice in Gothic Prayerbooks", in Blick, Sarah and Gelfand, Laura (eds). ''Push Me, Pull You: Imaginative and Emotional Interaction in Late Medieval and Renaissance Art''. Leiden: Brill, 2011, pp. 75–122.
* Slater, Laura. "Queen Isabella of France and the Politics of the Taymouth Hours", Viator, Volume 43, 2012, 209-45.
* Turner, Marie. "Feeling Persecuted: Christians, Jews and Images of Violence in the Middle Ages". ''Journal of Medieval Religious Cultures'', Volume 38, No. 1, 2012. 113-117.
* Smith, Kathryn. ''The Taymouth Hours: Stories and the Construction of Self in Late Medieval England''. London: British Library, 2012.
External links
British Library Digitised ManuscriptsDigital facsimile of the entire manuscript
{{authority control
14th-century illuminated manuscripts
Illuminated books of hours
Yates Thompson manuscripts