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Almugavar Hours
(Manuscripts and Rare Books)
This book of hours was produced ca. 1510-1520 for a member of the Catalonian Almugavar (or Almogaver) family, whose coat of arms appears throughout the manuscript in the borders of the lavish full-page miniatures. There are twenty-six full-page polychrome miniatures (three are missing), of which six were removed from the original quire structure after portions of the miniatures were excised, and then returned to the manuscript, having been pasted onto heavy card-stock folios. There are also eighteen full-page incipits, of which three include historiated vignettes, and numerous folios with elaborate floral motif borders. A significant number of feast days associated with Barcelona help reinforce the Spanish attribution of the manuscript, although the style of the decoration is clearly influenced by contemporary Flemish design.
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.
Commissioned by the Amulgavar family, Catalonia, 1510-1520 [1]. Viscount Joseph de Ayala, 18th century [2]. Purchased by Henry Walters, Baltimore; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
[1] Amulgavar coat of arms appears throughout manuscript
[2] Inscription on fol. 1r
Exhibitions
| 2024 | Healing the Body, Healing the Soul. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2020 | The Saint Francis Missal. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2016-2017 | A Feast for the Senses: Art and Experience in Medieval Europe. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota. |
| 1988 | Time Sanctified: The Book of Hours in Medieval Art and Life. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1982 | God's Minstrel: St. Francis of Assisi. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 12/9/2016 | Treatment | binding stabilized; examined for exhibition; examined for loan; media consolidation |
Geographies
Spain, Catalonia (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Overall H: 7 7/8 x W: 5 1/8 in. (20 x 13 cm); Folio H: 7 7/16 × W: 5 1/16 in. (18.9 × 12.9 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
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.420
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