Lawrence hours, use of Cambrai, 1425 - 1450

Parchment support.

Original fifteenth-century blind-tooled leather over chamfered wooden boards, silver quatrefoil clasps on front hold leather and ribbon straps, lower clasp depicts St. Christopher, upper clasp (possibly) St. George; edges gilt; rebacked.

v+187+ii; 200 x 134 mm bound to 223 x 155 mm

Single column, thirteen lines, ruled with much variation between quires: some ruled in dark red ink, some bright red and some brown; variation also in bounding lines from double vertical and horizontal lines full across to double vertical and single horizontal to both framing lines single; remains of prickings on some quires; written area: 120 x 80 mm

Gothic - textualis script

Although there are no obvious lacunae in the text, several leaves have been removed probably containing illuminations, and possibly, in quire XVI, additional suffrages. The remaining decoration consists of an elaborate border completely framing the text with pen-work vinestems ending in gold leaves, acanthus leaves, fruit, and flowers in a palette of soft colors: green, blue, lavender, gray, pink, orange, yellow, and brown. No red is used. Additionally, most of these borders Drollery from Lawrence Hourscontain drolleries--whimsical birds, animals, men, and mythical creatures. The text is separated from the border on the bottom and two sides by a frame extending from an initial which varies from elaborate gold and multi-colored strapwork to gold alternating with pink sectional frames to simple gold and black frames; each leaf is different. The drolleries, if any, are limited to one or two birds or animals. The entire text has many 1- and 2-line gold initials and line fillers, each on a ground of pink and blue with white penwork; some of the 2-line initials are infilled with white penwork birds, animals, or flowers. Rubrication throughout in red.

Modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto.