Mary Stuart's Book of Hours and Execution Warrant

Mary Stuart, the Catholic Queen of Scotland and France, was the owner of a wonderful book of hours with numerous Flemish miniatures. This is counted among the most beautiful surviving specimens of early 16th century Flemish illumination. Valuable small paintings are depicted in gorgeous, luminous colors, splendidly gilded in some places. This gem of illumination is accompanied by a document steeped in history: the Execution Warrant of Mary Stuart, signed by the English Queen Elizabeth I on February 1st, 1587. This compendium offers a glimpse into the life of one of the most tragic figures in history.

A Tragic Document

The commissioner of the book of hours was the famous Mary Stuart (1542–1587). The Catholic Queen of Scotland had to abandon her country because of political and religious unrest and flee to England. New tensions with the Queen of England, Elizabeth I, nourished Mary Stuart’s hopes for the English throne. After she was suspected to have participated in a planned assassination attempt, she was executed for high treason on February 7th, 1587. The death sentence, which is dated February 1st, 1587, carries the signature of Queen Elizabeth I at the bottom of the page. Today this death sentence is stored in the Lambeth Palace Library and represents an important testimonial of English history.

The Book of Hours: Her Solace in the Last Hours

The book of hours was the private prayer book of the Queen, which accompanied her in her final hours. It gave her solace and relief as she prayed from it and pressed it to her heart. Nothing was closer to her in the hours of mortal fear than her book of hours. Through her confessor, who came from Ravenna, it eventually came to Italy, where it is stored today in the Biblioteca Classense di Ravenna. Both artifacts, the book of hours in the format of 10 x 7.1 cm and the warrant of execution, are sumptuously stored in a wooden case. The manuscript is protected by a wonderful binding of Bordeaux-red velvet, which is embellished with a jade stone and pearls on the edges of the front side.

The Private Prayer Book of the Scottish Queen

A true world of wonder spreads out before the eye of the beholder on 385 pages. 41 full-page miniatures adorn the private prayer book of Mary Stuart that was probably made in the early 16th century in Flanders, either in Bruges or Ghent. An unknown Flemish master adorned the text with numerous precious initials and artful miniatures. The spiritual text is preceded by a calendar depicting the months on seven pages along with the corresponding zodiac signs. Gorgeous wide frames that are exceedingly colorful and designed with elements of floral tendrils surround the text. In turn, the frames of the calendar pages show rustic genre scenes, e.g. the thresher at work between the streets of a Flemish city.

The Miniatures of the Book of Hours

The 19 miniature pages are extremely artfully designed, while a broad frame always surrounded the actual miniature in the middle of the picture. The frames are filled with naturalistic depictions of fruits, leaves, and flowers, but also with small animals and insects. The miniatures, designed like individual panel paintings, illustrated the texts of the various biblical scenes, e.g. the Annunciation or the Savior of the World. These are painted with great artistry, showing some wonderful landscape or architectural interior as a background. The luminous colorfulness of the paintings is impressive, which is further underscored through the application of gold. Stylistically the miniatures refer to an origin in Flanders, either from Ghent or Bruges. Great names from the art of illumination such as Jan van Eyck, Simon Bening, or Gerard David come to mind.