When Thielman Kerver printed this book of hours in 1507 he likely imagined it would end up in Catalonia, a destination hinted at both from the inclusion of saints revered there as well as an unusual text he included. Now, however, Kerver’s book has made another journey, having entered Portland State University Library’s Special Collections in 2018 with the generous support of the Hunter Fund, a gift of PSU alumnus Gordon Hunter.
Here we present the research undertaken by our students in the Medieval Portland Capstone in Spring 2018, when PSU students delved into key issues surrounding this book from the earliest decades of printing. Their work was mentored by Professors Anne McClanan of Portland State and Maud Pérez-Simon of the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, a visiting scholar who lent her expertise in medieval manuscripts.
This class culminated the students’ Portland State University Studies general education requirements. Their majors ranged from Physics to Art History, so we are all the more grateful for their tenacious research on some very challenging topics, all undertaken over a mere ten weeks. We’d also like to thank Carolee Harrison and Cris Paschild of Special Collections, for their ongoing support of PSU students’ first-hand research of these items that serve to open up the past.
Anne McClanan, Ph.D.
Maud Pérez-Simon, Ph.D.
For more images accompanying these essays, please visit Kerver Book of Hours on Google Sites.
Digital version of the 1507 Book of Hours printed by Thielman Kerver online
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01, "Use of Rome" and the 1507 Kerver Book of Hours
Ryan O'Connell
Portland State University Library’s printed Book of Hours demonstrates how, by the early sixteenth century, a book of hours’ use was no longer synonymous with where it was made or where it was intended to be used. While this Book of Hours is designated “Use of Rome” by scholars and by its colophon, it was printed in Paris and was probably intended for use in the Catalonia region of northern Spain.
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02, 16th-Century French-Spanish Book Trade
Henry Tallman
While it is impossible to trace the specific journey of the 1507 Kerver Book of Hours, it is consistent with the historical record to conclude that it was produced for an international market, and quite plausibly, specifically for the Catalonian Spanish market. This essay summarizes the development of the book trade between France and Spain by 1600 and the importance of books of hours to that market.
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03, Speculum Conscientie
Halia Daley
Speculum Conscientie is Latin for “Mirror of Conscience” and this section of the Book of Hours is composed of elements that reflect that meaning. The section contains the Ten Commandments, the seven mortal sins, and the articles of the faithful which include the five senses, works of corporal and spiritual mercy, theological virtues, cardinal virtues, the seven gifts of the holy spirit, and the seven ecclesiastical sacraments. This essay discusses the content, placement, and symbols of this section of this Book of Hours.
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04, Condition Report
Nalani Meinken
This document is a detailed report on the physical condition of the 1507 Book of Hours, including the structure, materials, wear, alterations, and anomalies of its text block, contents and cover.
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05, Kerver's Widow and Female Printers in Sixteenth-Century France
Darrah Culp
After the Parisian printer Thielman Kerver died in 1522, his widow Iolande Bonhomme took over his shop at the "Sign of the Unicorn" in the Rue St. Jacques, and in 1526 she produced the first Bible printed by a woman. This essay discusses Bonhomme's assumption of the business and the roles and skills open to the widows of certain tradesmen in medieval France.
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06, Kerver's 1507 Book of Hours and the Four "Spanish Saints"
Sophia Germond
This essay presents research on four saints included in the Book of Hours' liturgical calendar who were particularly celebrated in Spain, suggesting that the book was printed to be distributed to the Spanish market.
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07, Kerver's Colophon
Quinn Haslett
First established at the “the sign of the Unicorn,” Thielman Kerver’s Parisian shop was surrounded by other members of the printing community. The shared use of engravers often led printers to duplicate or share the images they used. The particular marks they developed to distinguish their work took shape as early trademarks that separated one printer’s work from another. This essay examines the symbolism and visual elements incorporated into the unique colophon that identified Kerver's work.
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08, Comparison of Two Books of Hours Printed by Thielman Kerver
Chase Shepard
Portland State University Library Special Collections and the Mt. Angel Abbey Library both hold copies of books of hours printed by Thielman Kerver in Paris during the 1500s. This essay looks at some of the differences between the two books and the changes they demonstrate in the printer's work and audience.
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09, Typological Images and Thought
Courtney Rhoades
Portland State University’s Kerver Book of Hours contains typological images in sets of three. Typological images are more commonly displayed in sets of two consisting of a type and an antitype. Typological thought uses images from the Hebrew Bible placed alongside the images of the New Testament in order to act as a prophecy.By viewing the Hebrew Bible as a prophecy for the New Testament, the church is able to justify the existence of the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew Bible must be preserved in order for it to be interpreted, and the Book of Hours was used as a tool for preservation.
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10, Danse Macabre
Stefano Paparo
The Danse Macabre (the Dance of Death) is a 15th-century conceit, both pictorial and textual, of the humbling power of death. In the years following the plagues of late 14th-century Europe, it seems almost inevitable that the Danse Macabre would become a popular theme in medieval art. The Danse Macabre in Thielman Kerver’s printed Book of Hours (1507) is depicted in a series of marginal illustrations in which Death, pictured as a decomposing corpse or transi, accompanies 66 “dancers” to the afterlife. Medieval artists and their patrons could subvert attitudes toward certain figures of power by including their images in the Danse and positioning them in relation to Death and to one another.
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11, The Three-Faced Representation of the Holy Trinity
Zoe Goedecke
In the thirteenth century, artists began depicting the Holy Trinity as a single tricephalic figure, likely in an attempt to convey that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are One. This essay discusses the three-faced image of the Trinity in the Book of Hours and the history of tricephalic imagery in Christian representations, from its early appearances to eventual condemnation by the papacy.
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12, Signs of the Apocalypse
Cora Beth Finney
Books of Hours are one of the richest sources of medieval apocalyptic imagery. In Thielman Kerver’s 1507 printing, over seventy images relating to the Signs of the Apocalypse appear within the margins of its Hours of the Trinity and the Office of the Dead. Apocalyptic iconography is commonly found accompanying the prayer cycles of the Office of the Dead in late medieval Books of Hours, although it is less common in the Hours of the Trinity, making this placement in this Book of Hours unusual. In this text, the images depicting the Signs of the Apocalypse can be separated into three different iconographic traditions: The Seven Signs of the Apocalypse, the Fifteen Signs Before Doomsday and the Apocalypse of Saint John.
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13, The Tree of Jesse
Bridget Eide
The Tree of Jesse was a popular medieval theme used to represent the family tree of Christ. More specifically, it was used to represent Christ’s human ancestors, including Jesse, King David, and the Virgin Mary. This essay discusses the iconography and symbolism in this Book of Hours' image of the Tree of Jesse.
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14, Arma Christi
Bridget Eide
As part of spiritual discipline, daily prayer was a routine practice and was believed to bring the reader closer to God. The Arma Christi and the Instruments of the Passion images found within a medieval book of hours were used for purposes of prayer and reflection. This essay examines the Arma Christi as it is pictured, and duplicated, in Thielman Kerver's 1507 printing.
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15, The Flight into Egypt
Jereme Shaver
The flight of Holy Family into Egypt and their eventual return was interpreted by the Gospel writer Matthew as the fulfillment the prophecy of Hosea. An image of this biblical event is located on sig. i8 of Thielman Kerver’s 1507 Book of Hours, in the Vespers section, which are the evening prayers at the end of the Hours of the Virgin. This essay discusses the rich symbolism included in this illustration.
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16, The Nativity
Jereme Shaver
In Thielman Kerver’s 1507 Book of Hours, a depiction of the Nativity of Christ is located in the Infancy Cycle within the Hours of the Virgin. Placement of this image in the Hours of the Virgin in the Prime section, which was used during the early morning, included devotion to Psalms 50, 62, and 89, as well as the Nativity scene. This essay discusses the symbolism included in this image in the context of the time of its publication.
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17, The Crucifixion
Shawn Peralta
The image of the Crucifixion of Jesus in the Book of Hours provides visual context for remembrance of the Octave of Easter in the liturgical calendar, and it is also the basis for the Passion of Jesus. This essay discusses the Biblical context, characters, and symbols included in the illustration of the Crucifixion in Thielman Kerver's 1507 printing.
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18, Martyrdom of St. John the Evangelist
David Powers
Stories like St. John’s trial in boiling oil, pictured in Kerver's 1507 Book of Hours, were used by the Church to demonstrate the power of faith against threats of pain and death.This essay examines the symbolism in the image of St. John's martyrdom and discusses how narratives of self-sacrifice worked to inspire the spread of Christianity.