Dominican Breviary

Among the surviving Latin manuscripts from the convent of St Catherine in Nuremberg, breviaries form the largest group. With their help, the nuns, most of which had only a limited knowledge of Latin, were enabled to recite the liturgical texts during the canonical hours correctly. For this purpose, German rubrics with instructions were often added in the manuscripts, as is the case in this example.

The manuscript was acquired from a London antiquarian dealer in 1995. At the end of the 19th century, it formed part of the collection of the Munich type designer and collector Otto Hupp (1859-1949).

On a separate leaf bound in at a later stage (fol. 174v), the name ihs (Jesus) has been written in large letters formed in polished gold leaf and edged with a red frame, probably by a Dominican nun of Nuremberg. Small stars and flowers surround the monogram, and the page is framed by a border with stepped ornaments.