Keywords: book of hours bookofhours private devotional text privatedevotionaltext flemish french book historiated initial historiatedinitial illumination inhabited initial inhabitedinitial manuscript miniature textura treasure binding treasurebinding walters art museum waltersartmuseum flanders france 13th century 13thcentury devotion people groupshot indoor print stained glass pattern drawing ceiling texture This Book of Hours was likely produced for a member of the Augustinian Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre at Lille along the Flemish-French border. The patron may have had himself depicted in the opening initial for the Penitential Psalms on fol. 125r, shown kneeling before an altar in prayer with hands extended to heaven, from which God emerges in a cloud, blessing the man and carrying a black book. A significant number of feast days in the calendar are devoted to saints venerated at Lille, and the proximity of St. Peter to the Virgin in the Pentecost historiated initial on fol. 13r may further suggest a connection to Saint-Pierre at Lille. Historiated and inhabited initials, drolleries, and vignettes are painted simply with dark outlines to delineate forms. Decorated initials and marginal ornament combine a calligraphic elegance with bold outlines that ultimately circumscribe the ornament. The ivory plaque depicting the Coronation of the Virgin below a trefoil Gothic arch was inserted into the front cover in the nineteenth century, although the ivory itself dates to the fourteenth century and was carved in either Flanders or Germany. Access a complete set of high-resolution archival images of this manuscript for free on thedigitalwalters.org/01_ACCESS_WALTERS_MANUSCRIPTS.html For a digital “turning the pages” presentation of the manuscripts and downloadable PDFs, visit the Walters Art Museum’s Web site: art.thewalters.org/browse/category/manuscript-and-rare-bo... This Book of Hours was likely produced for a member of the Augustinian Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre at Lille along the Flemish-French border. The patron may have had himself depicted in the opening initial for the Penitential Psalms on fol. 125r, shown kneeling before an altar in prayer with hands extended to heaven, from which God emerges in a cloud, blessing the man and carrying a black book. A significant number of feast days in the calendar are devoted to saints venerated at Lille, and the proximity of St. Peter to the Virgin in the Pentecost historiated initial on fol. 13r may further suggest a connection to Saint-Pierre at Lille. Historiated and inhabited initials, drolleries, and vignettes are painted simply with dark outlines to delineate forms. Decorated initials and marginal ornament combine a calligraphic elegance with bold outlines that ultimately circumscribe the ornament. The ivory plaque depicting the Coronation of the Virgin below a trefoil Gothic arch was inserted into the front cover in the nineteenth century, although the ivory itself dates to the fourteenth century and was carved in either Flanders or Germany. Access a complete set of high-resolution archival images of this manuscript for free on thedigitalwalters.org/01_ACCESS_WALTERS_MANUSCRIPTS.html For a digital “turning the pages” presentation of the manuscripts and downloadable PDFs, visit the Walters Art Museum’s Web site: art.thewalters.org/browse/category/manuscript-and-rare-bo... |