Book of Hours of Gregory XIII

Book of Hours of Gregory XIII – ArtCodex – ms. vat. lat. 3767 – Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vatican City, State of the Vatican City)

Italy — Late 15th century

A papal book of hours with luminous gold decorations on every page: exuberant illuminations in a late medieval masterpiece for Pope Gregory XIII, the inaugurator of the Gregorian calendar

  1. Pope Gregory XIII (1502–85) commissioned the Gregorian calendar, which is still the internationally accepted civil calendar

  2. Gregory XIII was a great patron of the arts and sciences as well as an avid supporter of the newly formed Jesuits

  3. The codex exhibits French influences and is adorned with gold, richly colored foliage, flowers, animals, and figures

Book of Hours of Gregory XIII

  1. Description
  2. Facsimile Editions (1)
Description
Book of Hours of Gregory XIII

This book of hours is one of the finest specimens of its kind, originating from the 16th century, the last epoch of manuscript production when splendid handmade masterpieces continued to be made for high-ranking patrons in spite of the rising tide of printed books. Pope Gregory XIII was one of the greatest patrons of the arts and sciences in Renaissance Europe as well as the namesake of the Gregorian calendar, which is still in use today. It is only natural that his personal prayer book would be an exemplary manuscript filled with all of the artistic devices one could expect from Renaissance illumination.

Book of Hours of Gregory XIII

Famous for commissioning and being the namesake of the Gregorian calendar, which continues to serve as the internationally accepted civil calendar today, Pope Gregory XIII (1502–85) was also a great patron of the arts and sciences as well as an avid supporter of the newly formed Jesuits. As such, he is considered to be one of the most important popes of the modern age. The Pope’s personal book of hours is one of the finest specimens of its kind to survive to the present, which has been wonderfully preserved thanks to the fact that he donated the codex to the Vatican Library on November 5th, 1578, where it has remained ever since. The décor exhibits French influences and is adorned with gold, richly colored foliage, flowers, animals, and figures. Mostly concerned with scenes from the lives of saints and the Gospels, the text is adorned with elegant initials and fantastic miniatures from a team of artists. Two documents are included in the codex, which are relevant to the patron’s pontifical reign: the canon of the reform of the Gregorian calendar with the months October-December 1582 (presented in a 21x16 cm format), and the Map of the seven churches – destinations for the pilgrimage of the great Jubilee announced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1575 (presented in a 28.5x37 cm format).

Codicology

Alternative Titles
Libro d'Ore di Gregorio XIII
Uffizio della B. V. Maria
Size / Format
284 pages / 24.9 × 18.0
Origin
Italy
Date
Late 15th century
Language

Available facsimile editions:
Book of Hours of Gregory XIII – ArtCodex – ms. vat. lat. 3767 – Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vatican City, State of the Vatican City)
ArtCodex – Castelvetro di Modena, 2015
Limited Edition: 999 copies
Facsimile Editions

#1 Libro d'Ore di Gregorio XIII

ArtCodex – Castelvetro di Modena, 2015
Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €€€€€
(over 10,000€)
You might also be interested in:
Book of Hours of Alexander VI. Pope Borgia – Patrimonio Ediciones – Ms. IV 480 – Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique (Brussels, Belgium)
Book of Hours of Alexander VI. Pope Borgia
Bruges (Belgium) – Ca. 1500

Painted by no less than Gerard David and furnished with more than 80 magnificent miniatures: the precious, personal prayer book of the notorious Borgia Pope Alexander VI

Experience More
Missale Pontificis - Christmas Missal of Alexander VI – Belser Verlag – Borg. lat. 425 – Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vatican City, State of the Vatican City)
Missale Pontificis - Christmas Missal of Alexander VI
Rome (Italy) – Late 15th century

Still in use today for the Christmas Mass in St. Peter's Basilica: a magnificent Renaissance masterpiece with gold-glowing book décor made for the famous Borgia Pope Alexander VI

Experience More
Officium Beatae Virginis – Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato – Cod. Cavense 47 – Biblioteca Statale del Monumento Nazionale della Badia (Cava de' Tirreni, Italy)
Officium Beatae Virginis
France – 15th century – 16th century

Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, richly and ingeniously illuminated by none other than Jean Bourdichon: an outstanding example from the Golden Age of French illumination

Experience More
Codex Amiatinus – La Meta Editore – Ms. Laurenziano Amiatino 1 – Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (Florence, Italy)
Codex Amiatinus
Monastery of Jarrow, Jarrow (England) – 700–715

The complete Vulgate text of St. Jerome, likely originating in Northumbria: one of the oldest and most important Bibles in the world

Experience More
Officium Beatae Mariae Virginis of Benedetto XIV – Imago – ms. 1140 – Biblioteca Universitaria di Bologna (Bologna, Italy)
Hours of Benedict XIV
Late 15th Century

Dreamlike miniatures, gorgeous labors of the month, and a masterful use of perspective: a magnificent prayerbook worthy of a pope

Experience More
Medici Codex of 1518 – University of Chicago Press – Private Collection
Medici Codex of 1518
Italy – 1518

Pope Leo X's exquisite wedding gift to his nephew and his bride: 53 enchanting motets by 21 of the most significant composers of the Renaissance as expression of the generous Medici patronage

Experience More
Blog articles worth reading
Filter selection
Publisher