Description
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.

Book of Hours
Exhibitions
- Illuminated Manuscripts: Masterpieces in Miniature. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1984-1985.
- Time Sanctified: The Book of Hours in Medieval Art and Life. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1988.
- Plants and Flowers in Medieval Manuscripts. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1991.
- Daily Life in Medieval Books. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1996.
- Medieval Mastery, Book Illumination from Charlemagne to Charles the Bold (Meesterlijke Middeleeuwen). Stedelijik Museum Vander Kelen-Mertens, Leuven. 2002.
- Beasts on Parchment: Picturing Animals in Medieval Manuscripts. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2010-2011.
- Seeing Music in Medieval Manuscripts. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2014.
- Animal Tales. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2019.
Provenance
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
Credit
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1911
Creators
- Flemish (Artist)
- Style of Nicolas-Denis Derome (French, 1731 - 1790) (Binder)
Period
early 14th centuryMedium
ink and pigments on parchment bound between boards covered with leather(Manuscripts & Rare Books)
Accession Number
W.90Measurements
Folio H: 5 1/8 × W: 3 11/16 in. (13 × 9.3 cm)Geographies
- France (Place of Origin)