Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Book of Hours
(Manuscripts and Rare Books, Medieval Europe )
This Book of Hours illuminated ca. 1470 contains stunning examples of full-page miniatures in the style of Willem Vrelant, most likely originating in Bruges. Given that several prayer cycles contain indications of a female suppliant, as well as a majority female saints in the litany, the book was either owned or co-owned by a woman. The artist or artists have chosen to alternate between color and near-grisaille miniatures throughout the text and the calendar, making for a strikingly varied program of images.
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.
Likely owned by Eleanor of Portugal (1458-1525, wife of John II) [1]. Clerical ownership, Santiago, ca. 1600 [2]. Léon Gruel, Paris, late 19th-early 20th century [3]; purchased by Henry Walters, Baltimore; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
[1] Ownership inscription on front pastedown: Este libro foi da rainha/dona lianor nao se po/ de dar de fora so pe/na de escommunhao
[2] Inscription added on front pastedown by 1600: Fr. Luis de S[an]tiago
[3] Modern pencil inscriptions on front pastedown read "Add. Ms. 12" and "N 815"; same numbers occur on Gruel's handwritten sales slip
Exhibitions
| 1996 | To Arrest the Ravages of Time: Caring for Art at the Walters. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1990 | Outdoor Space in Medieval Book Illumination. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1988 | Time Sanctified: The Book of Hours in Medieval Art and Life. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1986 | The Four Seasons. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 9/26/2014 | Treatment | binding stabilized; examined for digitization; media consolidation |
Geographies
Belgium, Bruges (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Folio H: 7 11/16 × W: 5 in. (19.6 × 12.7 cm); Closed H: 7 11/16 × 5 × 2 7/16 in. (19.6 × 12.7 × 6.2 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
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.196