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Prayer Book of Bishop Leonhard von Laymingen of Passau
(Manuscripts and Rare Books)
This late medieval German prayer book is an example of a highly personal devotional item. It was originally made ca. 1440 for Leonhard von Laymingen, bishop of Passau (fl. 1423-1451). The text primarily features a series of prayers to various saints as well as prayers for travelings. Many illuminations and some text pages have been excised, but the book is nonetheless extensively decorated. The prayer book's illuminations consist of thirty miniatures and four historiated initials that complement the text, usually with illustrations of saints. Bishop von Laymingen appears in his prayer book several times kneeling before the saint to which that particular prayer is dedicated. Additionally, the Laymingen coat of arms appears twenty times throughout the book.
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.
Leonhard von Laymingen, Bishop of Passau, 1423-1541, by commission; Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2024 | Healing the Body, Healing the Soul. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2006 | Schatzkammer: Henry Walters' German Manuscripts. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1993 | Travel in Medieval Manuscripts. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1985 | Manuscripts and Facsimiles. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Measurements
Overall H: 5 1/2 x W: 4 1/8 in. (14 x 10.5 cm); Folio H: 5 1/16 x W: 3 5/8 in. (12.8 x 9.2 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
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.163