Prayers of Repentance by Albrecht Glockendon for John II of Palatinate-Simmern

Prayers of Repentance by Albrecht Glockendon for John II of Palatinate-Simmern

The prayer book of John II, Count Palatine of Simmern (1492–1557) offers one of the last examples of the high point of manuscript art before the emergence of the printing press. It originates from the hand of Albrecht Glockendon, who was a Nuremberg based miniaturist and book producer from a well know artistic family. The impressive miniatures primarily tell the Old Testament story of the sins and penitence of David.

Piety in Glowing Illustrations

On 26 splendidly designed pages the small private prayer books contain 9 whole-page miniatures, which contain prayers and penitent psalms. The content of the illustrations depict medieval examples of the familiar story of David and Bathsheba from the Old Testament. It is explained how deep David sank in sin and guilt, and then was regain his high esteem with the Lord through penitence. This story was chosen because it demonstrates in depth to the reader the exact manner in which one should pray. This unbelievably enthralling story is embedded within the greater background of contemporary everyday life of the 16th century, which provides for many exciting discoveries. Of particular note is the depiction of the characteristically Renaissance-era colorful fashion, which is dominated by light colors in many of the scenes. For example, the scene of Bathsheba in a bath is strongly decorated with orange and features a lady of the court dressed with a feather cap. Even the depictions of architecture, which are often confined to the background, are inspirational. Next to these miniatures, the individual text pages of the Prayers of Repentance are of the highest artistic quality, which are sometimes expressed with the help of gold ink. Alongside the main illustrations, all of the ornamental leafy tendrils are also painted in the brightest of colors.

The Popular Count Palatine and Lover of Art

John II, Count Palatine was not only the patron of this prayer book, but also was successful and influential as Count Palatine, maintaining excellent relations with his liege, the Emperor Charles V, as well as his contemporaries, who held him in especially high regard. With an advanced and open-minded spirit, he became well known for his status as an art collector and patron. As such, he sought out Albrecht Glockendon to craft this illuminated book as a gift for his youngest son.

The Artist: Albrecht Glockendon

The name Glockendon is widely known to many as a titan of the Early Modern artistic metropolis that was Nuremburg. Since Georg Glockendon the Eldest (d. 1514) settled down in Nuremberg in 1484, he and his sons and later descendants became an integral part of the artistic landscape of the city. The artist responsible for this prayer book, Albrecht Glockendon is a grandson of this very famous Georg Glockendon. His career came shortly before the invention of the printing press, which would become a catastrophe for the medieval book industry. Nonetheless, this book was the absolute favorite of the Count Palatine and is the best proof that, even in the 16th century, there were still great artists producing true manuscript masterpieces.