A look at illuminated manuscripts, particularly the notorious Books of Hours circa the Middle Ages.

1. Illuminated Medieval Manuscripts
13 th -17 th Century
Source: The Book of Hours with a historical survey and commentary
by John Harthan

2.  Prayer books whose
contents were derived
from official service
books of the Church
and personalized for
each owner according
to
preference, status, and
budget.
 They form the largest
single collection of Book of Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux
1324-28, France
illuminated
manuscripts.

3.  In 1999, Christies Auction House sold a complete
manuscript The Rothschild Prayerbook circa 1505, a Book of
Hours, for around £8,580,000! (Randolph Women’s College)
 But they’re also worth knowing about since they tell us
a lot about Medieval religious life – especially because
they were so customized to each individual.

4.  In the Middle Ages, timekeeping was not mechanized
– so “Hours” indicated inexact portions of the
day, which marked the start of business or religious
duties.
 As such, Hours queued people to follow the Church’s
program of daily devotion – which often very time-
consuming.

5.  The Hours tell the story of
Christ but the images
point to the Virgin Mary.
 A cult of Mary formed in
the Middle Ages – she was
everyone’s mother.
 “less awful than
god” but “more
powerful than the
saints” (Harthan)

6. Calendar The Office (Text)
 Usually 2 pages per month.  The various daily prayers to
 Outlines which devotions be recited (many focus on
are to be said for every day Mary).
of the year.
 Marks saints’days & other The Psalter (Text)
feasts.
 The hymns and psalms for
 Have a regional emphasis
every day of the week.
or “Use”
Suffrages of the Saints

7. Catherine Lipscomb Flemish Book
of Cleves, 15th C. Book of Hours of Hours, 16th C.

8. May miniature by Simon
Themes- examples: Bening, early 16th C.
 Jan: feasting
 Feb: sitting by the fire
 Apr: garden scene
 May: boating
 June: the hay harvest
 Dec: killing the pig or
baking bread.
 Zodiac signs often depicted
for each.

9.  Pretty much anyone who could read and afford to
have one.
 Catholics: both devout and secular
 Rich personages of their time who belonged to
affluent, well-known families:
 Often women who owned them
 Middle class laity
 Even illiterate people aspired to have one.

10. Tools:
 wooden blocks
Illumination:  vellum or parchment
 The art of decorating books  iron gall ink, made from the
with colours and metals nuts on oak trees
(usually gold, occasionally  minerals,
silver). plants &
chemicals
 Chiefly practiced in the used for tint.
Medieval times pre-printing
press.
 quill pen
 A collaborative effort
 Colours
 Script

11. Colour/marks
 Calendar marking festivals
 red and for important festivals
 lesser ones are in black
 regional often in red or blue
 Abbreviated rubrics
 blue or red subdivisions between
the prayers and verses.
 (Ex. Ps for psalm)

12. Script
1. Blackletter/Gothic script
 15th C:
3. Aldine script adopted
 italics (Aldus Manutius)
 late 16thC
 in printed editions.
2. A more humanistic style miniscule
 throwback to Carolingian script.
 antiqua/roman
 16th C:

13. the initial_____________
 decorative  historiative
 16th C  14th C
Herod with
3 wise men
 15th C  15th C
Mary with baby
Jesus

14. miniatures
 Not necessarily small in
size but stemming from
the Latin minium(red
pigment of lead oxide).
 Apart from text
 Inside text
 Full page (in frame)

15. borders/frames
 Ragged edges
 Thick & fill margin.
 Incorporated with an
initial.
 Frames (vines &
flowers
 Symbolic emblems
&ornaments
 Associated with
saints, or the
patron’s family

16.  Not bound in leather originally.
 Instead, a covering of fine leather, velvet or silk.
 Used as a carrying or a napkin to keep book clean.
 The bindings we have now are the result of a later cover
attached by an inheritor of the book
 Or a facsimile of original for display in collections, (above).

21. A more humble example

22. Other than for prayer…
 Were albums for
religious knickknacks
 Medicinal and spiritual
purposes
 A place to record
genealogies and create
family identity.
 “livres de raison”

23. Antoine Vérard, colour Astrological Man by Pigouchet
(France, 1506; print.) (France, 1547; print.)

24. Secularization
 Inclusion of superstitious
invocations.
 Laws of perspective
experimented with.
 Increasing use of
vernacular.
 Depictions of Caesar, and
classical intrusions (like
the 12 Sibyls).
The Hours of Reynalt von Homoet
(Germany, 1475)

25. LESS CUSTOMIZED LESS PERSONAL THEIR
WHEN PRINTED =MEANING =DEMISE