Ms. book of hours fragment, use of Saint-Omer and the Hospitallers (or perhaps use of Thérouanne), with a life of St. Margaret in rhymed French; written and illuminated in Saint-Omer or Thérouanne, France, circa 1320s.
Texts: book of hours fragment (fol. 1-114); life of St. Margaret (fol. 114-132v). The last 5 folios (133-137), probably added in the 16th century, contain a Memorial of St. Gregory and an ex libris of Charles Denoues.
The first part of this manuscript (155 leaves) is in the British Library (MS Add. 36684).
Artist: Alison Stones has called this artist the Master of Morgan Ms M. 754 / Add. 36684.
Decoration: 3 miniatures; 26 historiated initials; numerous historiated borders with grotesques.
A terminus post quem of 1318 exists on fol. 78 in the London part of the manuscript.
The manuscript was written for a woman depicted in the margins of the folios having large historiated initials and on fol. 113v prefacing the Life of St. Margaret. We shall refer to her as patroness although her husband, depicted on folios 17v, 59v and 71v, could have commissioned the manuscript for her.
Revised: 2015