Duchess Dorothea's Prayer Book

Duchess Dorothea's Prayer Book

As a princely couple, Dorothea and Albrecht von Preußen were famous for their ardent Protestant faith. A large number of devotional books and texts originated in Albrecht’s name, the most powerful proponent of the Reformation in the Prussian state. The small prayer book belonging to Duchess Dorothea is one of the few pieces from that princely library to have survived to the present. It possesses a special value and status among all of the noble pair’s splendid works. The text of the incredibly richly decorated prayer book is printed, having said that, all of the miniatures and marginal decorations were handmade. Girded with a preciously adorned, valuable binding, the small book is a unique witness to the great cultural wealth of the bygone state of Prussia.

Prussian Protestantism

Dorothea of Prussia way a Danish princess and the first Duchess of Prussia. When she was married to Margrave Albrecht von Ansbach-Brandenburg, Duke of Prussia on July 1st, 1526, the ideas of the Reformation were already widespread in her new abode. Albrecht was an enthusiastic supporter of Martin Luther, was in good standing with the Reformer from Wittenberg, and undertook to reign over Prussia as a humble and responsible protestant sovereign. His wife Dorothea went to great lengths to emulate the Duke in his faith and found him to be a patient teacher. Numerous sources tell of how the prince commissioned theological texts, bibles, and devotional books for his wife in order to give her an understanding of the teachings of the protestant faith.

The Genesis of a Masterpiece

A few written sources contain information about the genesis of Duchess Dorothea's Prayer Book. A letter by Albrecht concerning the prayer book was addressed to the Nuremberg artists Arnold Wenck and Nikolaus Glockendon. The letter relates the personal wishes of the Duke, according to which his wife’s gift was to be manufactured. It was intended to correspond to the style of the great handwritten and hand-illuminated books of hours by Flemish and Dutch illuminators. His prayer texts were printed, but all of the decoration and illumination of the book was finished with the use of high-quality colors and precious gold leaf applied by hand. Elaborate floral patterns and depictions of animals in an inconceivable variety adorn the margins of the pages. The illumination is reminiscent of the famous fables of the ancient Greek poet Aesop. The exceptional binding of the prayer book consists of black velvet studded with precious gemstones as well as silver fittings and claps. All of these precious and unbelievably expensive elements of décor speak to the very personal character of the masterful prayer book.