Book of Hours of Margaret of Bourbon
The so-called Book of Hours of Margaret of Bourbon, which is housed today in Madrid, is resplendent with exuberant miniature pages and embellishing initials and bordures. As a work from the great golden age of French illumination around the middle of the 15th century it stands in the tradition of the art of the Bedford Master, to whose workshop the artistic furnishings are attributed. The manuscript was in the possession of Marguerite de Bourbon, the daughter of Duke Charles I de Bourbon. The book of hours served someone who was associated with numerous important personalities of that time as a private devotional book for spiritual immersion in prayer. Nevertheless, it is a true treasure of illumination that continues to amaze all who behold it.
Book of Hours of Margaret of Bourbon
The so-called Book of Hours of Margaret of Bourbon, which is housed today in Madrid, is resplendent with exuberant miniature pages and embellishing initials and bordures. As a work from the great golden age of French illumination around the middle of the 15th century it stands in the tradition of the art of the Bedford Master, to whose workshop the artistic furnishings are attributed. The manuscript was in the possession of Marguerite de Bourbon, the daughter of Duke Charles I de Bourbon. The book of hours served her, whose life and name stand in association with numerous important personalities of that time, as a private devotional book for spiritual immersion in prayer. Nevertheless, it continues to amaze the eyes of its beholders as a true treasure of illumination to this day.
The Ducal Owner
Marguerite de Bourbon (1438–1483) was the daughter of Charles I de Bourbon and Agnes of Burgundy. Her lifetime overlaps with an enormously interesting historical period. From her marriage with Count Philip von Bresse, the eventual Duke of Savoy, came two children who would occupy an important position in history. Their son Philibert the Fair, successor of his father as Duke of Savoy, was married to Margarete of Austria, a daughter of Emperor Maximilian I; their daughter, Luise de Savoy was the mother of the later French King Francois I. As a result, Marguerite de Bourbon stands in direct relationship to the great names and important personalities of the 15th century.
Connection to the Bedford Master
The splendid manuscript known as the Book of Hours of Margaret of Bourbon was made by great masters of their field. The book of hours is presumed to originate in France ca. 1430-40. The miniatures are attributed to the workshop of the Bedford Master. The famous miniaturist was active in Paris ca. 1405–1465 and is counted today among the most important illuminators of his time. The manuscript is adorned with 13 magnificent miniature pages and exuberant bordures. Numerous precious initials adorn the Latin text in gorgeous Gothic script.
Impressive Miniature Pages
The true treasures of the Book of Hours of Margaret of Bourbon are the 13 brightly colored miniatures: they present magnificent scenes, e.g. in the miniature of the Annunciation. The angel conveys the happy tidings to Maria with a scroll. The scene plays out in an inner space under artful Gothic vaults and behind an embellishing column. Above the scene sits God the Father enthroned in a blue circle with a gesture of benediction. The exuberant trim around the miniature stands in direct competition for the favor of the viewer. The miniature with a short text section is surrounded by a thin border and a splendid initial. Surrounding it, the whole page is adorned with embellishing, floral tendrils and foliage. Bright colors alternate with precious glimmering gold.
A Precious Private Devotional Book
With a format of 22 x 15 cm, the manuscript is relatively large for a private book of hours. Such books of hours were widely circulated throughout the entire Middle Ages. They served for private devotion and were in a small format so that one could carry them along. Members of the nobility and the rich bourgeoisie had precious and splendid specimens with magnificent illustrations made by the best miniaturists of their time. So was it also with the Book of Hours of Margaret of Bourbon. The manuscript, however, displays a curious feature: found on the first page is a later-appended French text by Alexis Paulin. He describes the book of hours and give anecdotal information about the biography of Marguerite de Bourbon. The Book of Hours of Margaret of Bourbon can be counted among the highpoints of 15th century illumination with it its exceptionally qualitative miniatures and magnificent ornamental bordures.
Codicology
- Alternative Titles
- Libro de Horas de Margarita de Borbón
Stundenbuch der Marguerite de Bourbon - Size / Format
- 304 pages / 22.0 × 15.0 cm
- Origin
- France
- Date
- Mid 15th century
- Epochs
- Style
- Genre
- Language
- Illustrations
- 13 miniatures, golden filigree frames
- Patron
- Margaret of Bourbon (1438–1483)
#1 Libro de Horas de Margarita de Borbón
Language: Spanish
(3,000€ - 7,000€)
- Treatises / Secular Books
- Apocalypses / Beatus
- Astronomy / Astrology
- Bestiaries
- Bibles / Gospels
- Chronicles / History / Law
- Geography / Maps
- Saints' Lives
- Islam / Oriental
- Judaism / Hebrew
- Single Leaf Collections
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Literature / Poetry
- Liturgical Manuscripts
- Medicine / Botany / Alchemy
- Music
- Mythology / Prophecies
- Psalters
- Other Religious Books
- Games / Hunting
- Private Devotion Books
- Other Genres
- Afghanistan
- Armenia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Colombia
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Lebanon
- Luxembourg
- Mexico
- Morocco
- Netherlands
- Palestine
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Russia
- Serbia
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uzbekistan
- Aboca Museum
- Ajuntament de Valencia
- Akademie Verlag
- Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA)
- Aldo Ausilio Editore - Bottega d’Erasmo
- Alecto Historical Editions
- Alkuin Verlag
- Almqvist & Wiksell
- Amilcare Pizzi
- Andreas & Andreas Verlagsbuchhandlung
- Archa 90
- Archiv Verlag
- Archivi Edizioni
- Arnold Verlag
- ARS
- Ars Magna
- ArtCodex
- AyN Ediciones
- Azimuth Editions
- Badenia Verlag
- Bärenreiter-Verlag
- Belser Verlag
- Belser Verlag / WK Wertkontor
- Benziger Verlag
- Bernardinum Wydawnictwo
- BiblioGemma
- Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vaticanstadt, Vaticanstadt)
- Bibliotheca Palatina Faksimile Verlag
- Bibliotheca Rara
- Boydell & Brewer
- Bramante Edizioni
- Bredius Genootschap
- Brepols Publishers
- British Library
- C. Weckesser
- Caixa Catalunya
- Canesi
- CAPSA, Ars Scriptoria
- Caratzas Brothers, Publishers
- Carus Verlag
- Casamassima Libri
- Chavane Verlag
- Christian Brandstätter Verlag
- Circulo Cientifico
- Club Bibliófilo Versol
- Club du Livre
- CM Editores
- Collegium Graphicum
- Collezione Apocrifa Da Vinci
- Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses
- Coron Verlag
- Corvina
- CTHS
- D. S. Brewer
- Damon
- De Agostini/UTET
- De Nederlandsche Boekhandel
- De Schutter
- Deuschle & Stemmle
- Deutscher Verlag für Kunstwissenschaft
- DIAMM
- Droz
- E. Schreiber Graphische Kunstanstalten
- Ediciones Boreal
- Ediciones Grial
- Ediclube
- Edições Inapa
- Edilan
- Editalia
- Edition Deuschle
- Edition Georg Popp
- Edition Leipzig
- Edition Libri Illustri
- Editiones Reales Sitios S. L.
- Éditions de l'Oiseau Lyre
- Editions Medicina Rara
- Editorial Casariego
- Editorial Mintzoa
- Editrice Antenore
- Editrice Velar
- Edizioni Edison
- Egeria, S.L.
- Eikon Editores
- Electa
- Emery Walker Limited
- Enciclopèdia Catalana
- Eos-Verlag
- Ephesus Publishing
- Eugrammia Press
- Extraordinary Editions
- Fackelverlag
- Facsimila Art & Edition
- Facsimile Editions Ltd.
- Facsimilia Art & Edition Ebert KG
- Faksimile Verlag
- Feuermann Verlag
- Folger Shakespeare Library
- Franco Cosimo Panini Editore
- Friedrich Wittig Verlag
- Fundación Hullera Vasco-Leonesa
- G. Braziller
- Gabriele Mazzotta Editore
- Gebr. Mann Verlag
- Gesellschaft für graphische Industrie
- Getty Research Institute
- Giovanni Domenico de Rossi
- Giunti Editore
- Graffiti
- Grafica European Center of Fine Arts
- Guido Pressler
- Guillermo Blazquez
- Gustav Kiepenheuer
- H. N. Abrams
- Harrassowitz
- Helikon
- Hendrickson Publishers
- Henning Oppermann
- Herder Verlag
- Hes & De Graaf Publishers
- Hoepli
- Hortus Deliciarum
- Houghton Library
- Hugo Schmidt Verlag
- Idion Verlag
- Il Bulino, edizioni d'arte
- ILte
- Imago
- Insel Verlag
- Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia
- Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani
- Istituto Ellenico di Studi Bizantini e Postbizantini
- Istituto Geografico De Agostini
- Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato
- Italarte Art Establishments
- J. Thorbecke
- Jan Thorbecke Verlag
- Johnson Reprint Corporation
- Josef Stocker
- Josef Stocker-Schmid
- Jugoslavija
- Karl W. Hiersemann
- Kasper Straube
- Kaydeda Ediciones
- Kindler Verlag / Coron Verlag
- Kodansha International Ltd.
- Konrad Kölbl Verlag
- Kurt Wolff Verlag
- La Liberia dello Stato
- La Linea Editrice
- La Meta Editore
- Lambert Schneider
- Landeskreditbank Baden-Württemberg
- Leo S. Olschki
- Les Incunables
- Library of Congress
- Libreria Musicale Italiana
- Lichtdruck
- Lito Immagine Editore
- Lumen Artis
- Lund Humphries
- M. Moleiro Editor
- Maison des Sciences de l'homme et de la société de Poitiers
- Manuscriptum
- Martinus Nijhoff
- Maruzen-Yushodo Co. Ltd.
- MASA
- McGraw-Hill
- Militos
- Millennium Liber
- Müller & Schindler
- Nahar and Steimatzky
- National Library of Wales
- Neri Pozza
- Nova Charta
- Oceanum Verlag
- Odeon
- Orbis Mediaevalis
- Orbis Pictus
- Österreichische Staatsdruckerei
- Oxford University Press
- Pageant Books
- Parzellers Buchverlag
- Patrimonio Ediciones
- Pattloch Verlag
- PIAF
- Pieper Verlag
- Plon-Nourrit et cie
- Prestel Verlag
- Princeton University Press
- Prisma Verlag
- Priuli & Verlucca, editori
- Pro Sport Verlag
- Propyläen Verlag
- Pytheas Books
- Quaternio Verlag Luzern
- Reales Sitios
- Recht-Verlag
- Reichert Verlag
- Reichsdruckerei
- Riehn & Reusch
- Roberto Vattori Editore
- Rosenkilde and Bagger
- Roxburghe Club
- Salerno Editrice
- Sarajevo Svjetlost
- Schöck ArtPrint Kft.
- Scolar Press
- Scrinium
- Scripta Maneant
- Scriptorium
- Siloé, arte y bibliofilia
- SISMEL - Edizioni del Galluzzo
- Sociedad Mexicana de Antropología
- Soncin Publishing
- Sorli Ediciones
- Stainer and Bell
- Studer
- Styria Verlag
- Sumptibus Pragopress
- Szegedi Tudomànyegyetem
- Taberna Libraria
- Tarshish Books
- Taschen
- Tempus Libri
- Testimonio Compañía Editorial
- Thames and Hudson
- The Clear Vue Publishing Partnership Limited
- The Facsimile Codex
- The Folio Society
- The Marquess of Normanby
- The Richard III and Yorkist History Trust
- Tip.Le.Co
- TouchArt
- TREC Publishing House
- TRI Publishing Co.
- Trident Editore
- Typis Regiae Officinae Polygraphicae
- Union Verlag Berlin
- Universidad de Granada
- University of California Press
- University of Chicago Press
- Urs Graf
- Vallecchi
- Van Wijnen
- VCH, Acta Humaniora
- VDI Verlag
- VEB Deutscher Verlag für Musik
- Verlag Anton Pustet / Andreas Verlag
- Verlag der Münchner Drucke
- Verlag für Regionalgeschichte
- Verlag Styria
- Vicent Garcia Editores
- W. Turnowsky
- Waanders Printers
- Wiener Mechitharisten-Congregation (Wien, Österreich)
- Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft
- Wydawnictwo Dolnoslaskie
- Xuntanza Editorial
- Zakład Narodowy
- Zollikofer AG