Presentation in the Temple

This folio depcits the Presentation of the infant Jesus Christ in the Temple. The text would have been read during the Office of None, or the ninth hour in the cyle of the Hours of the Virgin. More importantly, scholars have determined that the words following antiphon and captiulum indicate the Use of a Book of Hours, and thus the area in which the book was made. The Use of a Book of Hours refers to the way in which it would have been used according to local customs.

In his book, A History of Illuminated Manuscripts, Christopher de Hamel has included a table correlating the various words following antiphon and capitulum with the particular geographical area. Although the tabel does not include the Use of Tours, I managed to find the information that would aid me in determining that the Du Bourg Book of Hours was made in Tours. 

According to my research, in the Office of None, the word following antiphon should be Germinavit and the words following capitulum should be Sicut Cynamomum. In referring to the Latin transcription and translation work I did with Professor Relihan, I did in fact notice that the word following antiphon was Germinavit. However, I was unable to futher locate and examine the words following capitulum. Hopefully, future research will be able to solve this part of the puzzle, and verify that the Use of the Du Bourg Book of Hours is Tours, and that it really was made in Tours. 

Text sources:

Catalogue of Manuscripts and Early Printed Books, (Lyon: Chiswick Press, 1906), http://books.google.com/booksid=Yek61HZXsdwC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false. 21, April, 2014.

Christopher De Hamel. A History of Illuminated Manuscripts. Boston: Phaidon Press Limited, 1986.

Joel Relihan, Professor of classics at Wheaton College. Helped tranlate and read the Latin text. April 2014.

Image source:

http://mdid.wheatoncollege.edu/result.aspx, accessed April 16, 2014.