Leaves From Famous Books of Hours
No other genre of medieval manuscript was produced nor has survived in numbers to rival the book of hours. These small devotional texts contained requisite texts for prayers throughout the day, either as part of a mass or said in private prayer. Although religious in nature, books of hours were mostly produced for lay patrons by lay artists working in urban studios. As a result, they reflect both the tastes of their patrons and the style of the artists who made them. These codices range from humble prayer books to spectacular works of art created by the greatest masters of their day for the highest-ranking members of the nobility.
Leaves from Famous Books of Hours
The book of hours was among the most popular subjects for medieval illuminated manuscripts. Personal devotional codices were the most popular kind of manuscript during the Late Middle Ages, when book production and artistry reached its zenith, and as such they are the most common type of medieval manuscript to survive to the present. The production of books of hours mainly occurred in the ateliers of secular artists. A book of hours was meant to be carried on oneβs person throughout the day and intended as an aide for participating in public church services. Moreover, their name comes from the fact that they contain prayers for specific times of day, called offices. The book of hours was a central part of daily life for those possessing the proper piety and wealth, some of which are considered to be true masterpieces of medieval illumination and occidental art as a whole, and were the commissions of royals and the wealthiest members of society.
These eleven folios represent some of the finest specimens of books of hours to survive the Middle Ages:
1. Initial Page βDβ, Grey-Fitz Payne Book of Hours, England, ca. 1300/08
2. βThe Three Lives and the Three Deathsβ, Hours of the Bonne de Luxembourg, Paris, 1st half of the 14th century
3. βFlight to Egyptβ, Hours of Marschall Jean de Boucicault, Paris, early-15th century
4. βThe Duke of Berry at the Dinner Tableβ, Les trΓ¨s riches heures du Duc de Berry, Paris, 1411/16
5. βJesus in Gethsemaneβ, Les trΓ¨s riches heures du Duc de Berry, Paris, 1411/16
6. βAnnunciation with coat of arms and initial Hβ, Stephan Lochner Prayer Book of 1451, Cologne, ca. 1451
7. βThe Creation of Eveβ, Visconti Book of Hours, Upper Italy, ca. 1431/40
8. βSt. Margaret and Olibriusβ, Hours of Etienne Chevalier, Tours, ca. 1453
9. βLaudate Dominumβ, Sforza Hours, Upper Italy, ca. 1490
10. βSaint Katherineβ, Hastings Book of Hours, Flanders, late-15th century
11. βThe Tower of Babelβ, Breviarium Grimani, Ghent and Bruges, 1510β20
Codicology
- Alternative Titles
- Kassette StundenbΓΌcher
- Origin
- France
- Date
- 14thβ16th century
- Epochs
- Style
- Illustrations
- 11 gorgeous miniatures from different books of hours
- Content
- Eleven leaves from important manuscripts
Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry
January: New Yearβs Feast
The New Year called for celebration and thus monthsβ labors were usually replaced by scenes of feasting in January, such as in this splendid miniature created by the famous Limbourg Brothers. The Duke of Berry, seated at the bottom right, is splendidly dressed in blue and wearing a fur cap. His family and vassals are encouraged to greet him by the inscription behind his guard reading "Approche Approche". Small dogs are grazing for food on the table, a greyhound is fed on the ground.
Breviarium Grimani
Tower of Babel
Possibly created by the great master Gerard Horenbout, this depiction of the biblical Tower of Babel was extremely influential on the succeeding generation of artists such as Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It is a wonderful composition that imagines the construction of an ancient tower meant to reach Heaven in the context of Renaissance Europe. The figures in the foreground are depicted in the fashions of earlyβ16th century France.
The artist appears to make an honest effort of imagining how such a structure might be built, this miniature is incredibly detailed and shows numerous wagons bringing fresh-cut stones to be lifted by Roman-style cranes. Situated on a harbor, ships are also shown bring materials to the construction site.
#1 Kassette StundenbΓΌcher
Language: German
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