The beginning of a new era in illumination: masterful, full-page miniatures in an abundantly illuminated book of hours
Rohan Hours
Paris or Angers (France) — 1430–1435

Rohan Hours
Paris or Angers (France) — 1430–1435
The first book of hours to feature full-page miniatures broke with the strict rules of medieval composition
The unbelievably talented Rohan Master and his assistants were responsible for its precious design
The work boasts at least one miniature on each of its 460+ pages, including 12 full-page miniatures

Rohan Hours
God as a Medieval King
With a crown, halo, and visage of a wise old medieval king, God gazes upon a dead man with an expression of deep compassion. He holds a golden globus cruciger in his left hand while couching a silver sword in his right arm, which he holds with two fingers wrapped around the crossguard. A demon attempts to abscond with the dead man’s soul but is intercepted by the Archangel Michael, who grabs the demon by the hair and prepares to strike with his sword as more angels appear in the background.
Rohan Hours
- Grandes Horas de Rohan
- Grandes Heures de Rohan
- Rohan-Stundenbuch
Short Description
The Rohan Hours is one of the most astounding books of hours that was ever created in the history of French illumination. It was the first book of hours in the world to feature full-page miniatures and broke with the strict rules of composition for medieval books of hours. It was produced in Paris sometime between 1430 and 1435. The unbelievably talented Rohan Master was responsible for its precious design, along with other no-less-talented assistants from his art studio. The Grandes Heures de Rohan is astounding not only because of its incredible variety and revolutionary image program, but equally so because of its dynamic and mysterious history of ownership.
Rohan Hours
The Rohan Hours is an outstanding illuminated manuscript that can look back on an incomparable history. To this day, parts of its origin- and ownership-history remain a riddle of historical research. What is known about this codex is that it is a private prayer and devotional book. The Rohan Hours certainly disregarded the strict rules of composition for medieval books of hours and reinvented this book genre. Its pictorial program differs from all previous image cycles, integrates novel themes, and distinguishes itself through a fantastic wealth of ideas. The exceedingly-richly-ornamented work, written in Latin, boasts at least one miniature on each of its over 460 pages. Found among them are 12 full-page, 54 half-page, and 466 mid-sized miniatures.
A Commission of the House of Anjou?
The book of hours bears the name of a later owner from the House of Rohan. The ruling house of Rohan was an important Breton noble family, after which the palaces in Paris and Strasbourg were named, as well as the noble horsemen in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. The manuscript was most likely commissioned by a member of another famous noble house. Since no written records exist concerning the origin of the book of hours, its patronage can be determined through the consideration of similar codices. In doing so, it points to Jolanthe of Aragón, the wife of Louis II of Anjou, who had the personal prayer book made for one of his sons, presumably for René. The ruling family of Anjou, one of the wealthiest noble houses in all of France, was known for its love of the visual arts and realized some of the most precious illuminated manuscripts, which originate from the Middle Ages.
A Moving Story
The coat of arms of the Rohan family entered the codex when it was painted over one of the pages of the book of hours, thus giving the Rohan Hours its name. Its first owner was presumably the son of Jolanthe of Aragón, René of Anjou. He was defeated in 1431 at the Battle of Bulgnéville by Antoine de Vaudémont, the father of Maria of Lothringen, who was married to Alain IX de Rohan. René of Anjou was taken prisoner in the confusion of the battle, and the precious Rohan Hours could have come into the possession of the House of Rohan as part of the imposed ransom. How long the Hours remained in the possession of the Rohan family cannot be said with certainty. A note on the first page of the manuscript verifies that in the 18th century, it was stored in a Jesuit library in Paris. Later, it came into the possession of the Duke de La Vallière, from whose collection it reached the Royal Library. The successor to which is the French National Library in Paris, wherein the historically significant book of hours is still to be found today.
A Unique Artistic Diversity
Without a doubt, several French masters participated in the design of the astounding book of hours. Some miniatures originate from the quill of the incomprehensibly-talented, so-called Rohan Master. This artist produced the impressive full-page depictions as well as some of the smaller miniatures of the work. He was equally responsible for the outlining of the figures and backgrounds of most of the other likenesses in the work, whose colorful design was taken over by the assistants from his art studio. The half-page miniatures were made by a no-less-gifted, ingenious illuminator, who was probably a talented student of the Rohan Master. The remaining embellishments of the work, which are highly diverse in their design, were entrusted to additional assistants of the head designer. For the first time in history, the hand-written book of hours featured miniatures that filled an entire page. The widely-varying image program shows not only the remaining pictorial-scenes from the Office of the Virgin Mary, the Intercession, and the Office of the Dead. Twelve Labors of the Month accompanying a calendar are particularly impressive and are characterized by the excitement of the time, and the signs of the zodiac appear above them almost like unholy signs floating in the sky.
Codicology
- Alternative Titles
- Grandes Horas de Rohan
Grandes Heures de Rohan
Rohan-Stundenbuch - Size / Format
- 478 pages / 29.0 x 21.0 cm
- Origin
- Paris or Angers (France)
- Date
- 1430–1435
- Epochs
- Style
- Genre
- Language
- Illustrations
- Every page shows at least one miniature and golden borders. Alltogether 537 miniatures (12 full-page, 54 half-page and 471 medium-sized)
- Artist / School
- Rohan Master and his workshop
Influences of the Bedford and the Boucicaut Masters - Previous Owners
- René d’Anjou
Isabella Stuart (1426–1494), Duchess of Brittany
John II, Viscount of Rohan
Jesuits
Duke of La Vallière

Rohan Hours
Lamentation of the Virgin
The full-page miniature at hand is perhaps the most iconic artwork created by the Rohan Master, so-called for embellishing the famous book of hours at hand. It is unusual because this archetypal scene typically portrays the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, but instead it is her limp body that must be held up by John the Apostle, who looks up with dismay at the sorrowful face of God as he tries vainly to console her.
God’s halo exceeds the frame of the miniature as though he just stuck his head into the scene from Heaven. The night-blue sky is filled with stars and the wings of angels. Christ’s naked body lies on the ground spattered with blood – the wounds on his hands, feet, and side are all visible and the crown of thorns remains on his head.
1 available facsimile edition(s) of „Rohan Hours“
Grandes Horas de Rohan
- Publisher
- AyN Ediciones – Madrid, 2006
- Limited Edition
- 995 copies
- Binding
- Leather binding with fine gold embossing
- Commentary
-
1 volume (377 pages) by Ana Domínguez Rodríguez, Elisa Ruiz and Javier Docampo
Language: Spanish - More Information
- Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Matching Works
Younger Prayer Book of Charles V
Gothic aesthetics and the influences of the Italian Renaissance: gorgeous grisaille painting for Emperor Charles V
Experience MoreBook of Hours of Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain
Created for Isabella I, Queen of Spain: a masterpiece by Alexander Bening, Gerard David, and other great names from the Ghent-Bruges School
Experience MoreMatching Background Articles
Books of Hours
What is a book of hours? A prayer book for personal use based upon the “offices” or official prayers that were to be said...Experience moreGothic
Gothic illumination is some of the most spectacular and iconic imagery of medieval art and first emerged in Northern...Experience more15th Century
Come and explore an age of stark contrasts as Europe comes back from the brink: calamities like the Fall of...Experience morePrayer Books
Interested in a personal glimpse into the personality of a famous medieval figure? Prayer books were small codices...Experience more
- 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
- Aboca Museum
- Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA)
- Aldo Ausilio Editore - Bottega d’Erasmo
- Alecto Historical Editions
- Ars Magna
- ArtCodex
- AyN Ediciones
- Bärenreiter-Verlag
- Belser Verlag
- Belser Verlag / WK Wertkontor
- Bernardinum Wydawnictwo
- BiblioGemma
- Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vaticanstadt, Vaticanstadt)
- Bibliotheca Palatina Faksimile Verlag
- Bibliotheca Rara
- CAPSA, Ars Scriptoria
- Circulo Cientifico
- Club Bibliófilo Versol
- CM Editores
- Collezione Apocrifa Da Vinci
- Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses
- Coron Verlag
- De Agostini/UTET
- DIAMM
- E. Schreiber Graphische Kunstanstalten
- Ediciones Boreal
- Ediciones Grial
- Edilan
- Editalia
- Edition Leipzig
- Edition Libri Illustri
- Editiones Reales Sitios S. L.
- Editions Medicina Rara
- Editorial Mintzoa
- Egeria, S.L.
- Extraordinary Editions
- Facsimile Editions Ltd.
- Facsimilia Art & Edition Ebert KG
- Faksimile Verlag
- Franco Cosimo Panini Editore
- Fundación Hullera Vasco-Leonesa
- Giunti Editore
- Graffiti
- Grafica European Center of Fine Arts
- Helikon
- Herder Verlag
- Hes & De Graaf Publishers
- Hugo Schmidt Verlag
- Idion Verlag
- Il Bulino, edizioni d'arte
- Imago
- Insel Verlag
- Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani
- Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato
- Johnson Reprint Corporation
- Kaydeda Ediciones
- La Meta Editore
- Leo S. Olschki
- Libreria Musicale Italiana
- Lumen Artis
- M. Moleiro Editor
- Manuscriptum
- Millennium Liber
- Nova Charta
- Orbis Mediaevalis
- Orbis Pictus
- Österreichische Staatsdruckerei
- Patrimonio Ediciones
- PIAF
- Popyläen Verlag
- Prestel Verlag
- Priuli & Verlucca, editori
- Pro Sport Verlag
- Pytheas Books
- Quaternio Verlag Luzern
- Reales Sitios
- Reichert Verlag
- Roberto Vattori Editore
- Salerno Editrice
- Schöck ArtPrint Kft.
- Scrinium
- Scripta Maneant
- Scriptorium
- Siloé, arte y bibliofilia
- Styria Verlag
- Tempus Libri
- Testimonio Compañía Editorial
- The Clear Vue Publishing Partnership Limited
- The Facsimile Codex
- The Folio Society
- Tip.Le.Co
- TouchArt
- Trident Editore
- Vallecchi
- Van Wijnen
- Vicent Garcia Editores
- Wiener Mechitharisten-Congregation (Wien, Österreich)
- Yushodo