“Do good, O Lord, to those that are good”: Ex-Otto Ege

Collected by the famous Otto Ege who wanted to put a Medieval manuscript in every home

The regional flare of this leaf shows the movement of art towards a Renaissance style and the movement of the Netherlands as an independent country

From the Psalms: “Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy. Then shall they say among the Gentiles: The Lord hath done great things for them.”

Otto Ege, famed for his creation of portfolios of medieval manuscript leaves in the 1950s, had the objective of putting a medieval manuscript in every American home. His methodology was to create tiered packets, with the most luxurious pieces of each manuscript constituting higher status packets, while more text-based, or less eye-catching leaves, created the more affordable packets to appeal to a wide variety of collectors.

The Book of Hours during the latter Middle Ages taught its reader how to interact with the complex structure of prayers and liturgy in order to be pleasing to God. In a more literal sense, children were taught to read from Books of Hours.

Each of Otto Ege’s “Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscripts” portfolios included a small caption describing the leaf. The description printed on the label for this leaf explained:

“In assigning this lead from a Book of Hours to the Netherlands it must be remembered that some sections of that country were once part of France, while others belonged to what is now Germany. In this leaf French characteristics predominate, but in no other country did the study of nature have a more direct influence on miniatures and ornamentation than in the Netherlands. Carnations, pansies, columbines, and many other flowers were faultlessly and realistically drawn. A few decades later, at the turn of the century, cast shadows as well as snails, butterflies, and birds were added, with the result that the borders became a distraction to the reader.”

This description begins to unpack the complicated world that these leaves retain for us. The two distinct styles of borders on the recto and verso demonstrate the aesthetic variations that had emerged regionally, signifying what would eventually rise as nation states and countries. As the Netherlands carved out a place for itself between Germany, Belgium, and France, their style of art and book art developed.

As Ege’s description explains, this leaf predominately appears to have French characteristics, such as the use of the acanthus within the ornamented floral border, the pink and blue illuminated initials and line filler bars, but to an experienced eye, there is something slightly “off”, not wholly French. The geometric border on the reverse side of the leaf has more of a blocky Germanic flourish. The flowers within the geometric pieces, however, lean towards the realistic style that was developing in the Netherlands, Early Netherlandish painting— with notable artists in this movement including Hieronymus Bosch, Hans Memling, and Peter Breugel, among others.

These Books of Hours, used to organise the day’s prayers and routine for lay people, are deeply regional and often personalised. The regional flare of this leaf also presents larger scale changes at work— the movement of art towards a Renaissance style and the movement of the Netherlands as an independent country.

More details:

Single leaf, Netherlands, ca. 1475, from a Book of Hours with text of Psalms 124:2-5 (r), 125:1-3 (v). Ex Ege, 5×7 inches; 130x178mm. 14 lines, ruled in pink. Recto border features interlocking geometric patterns in red and blue with gold and white pen detail, interlocked pieces featuring floral designs on gold background. Verso border features acanthus, blue and pink pansies, and white carnations tipped in red with black pen ornamentation. Gothic textura script, with one 2-line illuminated initials and seven single-line initials with three line filler bars in pink and blue. Modern number 7 in pencil on bottom central margin.

Text:

Recto: Psalm 124: 2-5

Verso: Psalm 125:1-3

Selected excerpts:

Ps 124:2-5:

2 …so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth now and for ever.

3 For the Lord will not leave the rod of sinners upon the lot of the just: that the just may not stretch forth their hands to iniquity.

4 Do good, O Lord, to those that are good, and to the upright of heart.

5 But such as turn aside into bonds, the Lord shall lead out with the workers of iniquity: peace upon Israel.

Ps 125: 1-3:

1 When the lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became like men comforted.

2 Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy. Then shall they say among the Gentiles: The Lord hath done great things for them.

3 The Lord hath done great things for us: we are become joyful.