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Book of Hours
(Manuscripts and Rare Books, Medieval Europe )
This Book of Hours was produced in the early fourteenth century in northeast France. The contents of the calendar suggest a Use of Saint-Omer, which was in the diocese of Thérouanne. The presence of a female figure kneeling in prayer accompanying the Pentecost suggests that the manuscript was made for a female owner. The calendar contains marginal illumination with the labors of the months and the zodiac symbols. There are seven full-page miniatures depicting scenes from the book of Genesis, unusually contained within architectural settings. Twenty-four historiated initials, initials decorated with human heads, and an abundance of marginal figures makes this manuscript exceptionally charming.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Unknown Spanish owner (?) [1], 17th century. Unknown owner with monogram "J. L.", France (?), 2nd half 19th century [2]. Acquired by Lionel Harris, London, late 19th-early 20 century; purchased by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1911; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
[1] Inscription on back flyleaf: "252 fojas escritas"
[2] Monogram added to the cover after rebinding
Exhibitions
| 2019 | Animal Tales. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2014 | Seeing Music in Medieval Manuscripts. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2010-2011 | Beasts on Parchment: Picturing Animals in Medieval Manuscripts. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2002 | Medieval Mastery, Book Illumination from Charlemagne to Charles the Bold (Meesterlijke Middeleeuwen). Stedelijik Museum Vander Kelen-Mertens, Leuven. |
| 1996 | Daily Life in Medieval Books. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1991 | Plants and Flowers in Medieval Manuscripts. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1988 | Time Sanctified: The Book of Hours in Medieval Art and Life. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1984-1985 | Illuminated Manuscripts: Masterpieces in Miniature. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
France (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Folio H: 5 1/8 × W: 3 11/16 in. (13 × 9.3 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1911
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.90