Horae, in Dutch: Devote getijden van het leven Ons Heren. [Gouda: Gerard Leeu, between 18 September 1484 and 9 July 1485].

Only the second copy known of the second edition of a Dutch devotional work, extensively illustrated with a fine and important woodcut series. Leeu – the first printer at Gouda and ‘the most important … printer' of the Low Countries in the 15th century (Duff, Early Printed Books, p.108) – commissioned a series of 68 woodcuts (Conway’s count) to illustrate his first edition of the Devote getijden (c.1482-3). The first 32 blocks of the series first appeared in 1482 in Leeu’s Liden ons Heeren before the full series was completed for the Devote getijden. Leeu loaned some of the blocks to other printers, and they appeared in various numbers in various editions for almost 40 years. The Devote getijden presents meditative texts, Penitential Psalms, and prayers for each day of the week, and the woodcuts illustrating the text are an integral part of active devotion. The work was intended for a lay audience striving to obtain God’s grace through spiritual exercises. It was in obvious demand and survives (barely) in four 15th-century editions (none known in more than 2 imperfect copies) and a few manuscripts written after its appearance in print. The only copy of this, second edition is at Leiden. See A. Dlabačová, 'Religious Practice and Experimental Book Production', Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art, 9:2, 2017. Christie’s is grateful to Dr Lotte Hellinga for sharing her expertise on Leeu’s printing career in localising and dating this edition. C 3559; Camp 1115; ILC 1246; Inv Ant 109; IDL 2934; Kok Woodcuts 74 (blocks 1-68, 71-73); Conway Woodcutters, pp.46-50; ISTC ih00433150.

Chancery octavo (154 x 107mm). 38 leaves (of 152), comprising n-o8 p6 q-r8. 24 lines. Type: 4:100G. 21 full-page woodcuts from 20 (of 71, according to Kok) blocks by the Second Gouda Woodcutter. One-3-line initials and paragraph marks in red, one woodcut touched with red highlights. (Occasional very light soiling, faint dampstain in final two quires, last few fore-edges lightly frayed, small wormhole in last 3 leaves, r1.8 rehinged.) 20th-century tan sheep tooled in blind (faintly rubbed at extremities).

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