A Medieval Best-Seller?

A Medieval Best-Seller?
New Acquisitions of Books of Hours
It is a commonplace to describe Books of Hours as “the medieval best-sellers,” but it is also true
that they are among the most commercially successful manuscripts in the modern world.
There has probably never been a moment since the Middle Ages when it has not been possible
to buy a manuscript Book of Hours.
Only billionaires today can realistically possess Rembrandts or Monets: very few academic
art historians could hope to do so. This is not so with Books of Hours. Even now, a moderate
medieval Book of Hours … is not at all beyond the aspirations of any scholar on a normal professional or university salary.
The experience of walking through the countryside with a chunky little medieval Book of Hours
in one’s pocket or of looking at it in bed at night is magical ….
There are Books of Hours still living in the wild and, when all have been chased and captured,
the world will have lost something precious and very old.
– Christopher de Hamel, “Books of Hours and the Art Market,” in Books of Hours Reconsidered,
edited by Sandra Hindman and James H. Marrow, Turnhout, Brepols, and London, Harvey Miller,
2013, pp. 39-48.
1. BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rome)
In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment
Southern Netherlands, Bruges, c. 1450
37 full page miniatures, 13 small miniatures, and 8 historiated initials illustrated by the Masters
of the Gold Scrolls (Berlin, Kunstbibliothek, MS Gris. 4)
This Book of Hours is exceptionally rich both in text (it is almost 400 folios thick) and in illustration,
including nearly sixty pictures. It was certainly made as a special commission, and the original owner (a
Franciscan Tertiary), along with his wife, is represented twice in the manuscript. The illuminator was also
responsible for a related manuscript in Berlin and others that form a distinct subgroup, according to
Gregory Clark. Noteworthy are the numerous marginal scenes, often related to the main miniatures. The
text includes the unusual Hours for the Days of the Week. [BOH 76]
$ 400,000
3
2. BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rouen)
In Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment
France, Normandy (Lisieux, Sées?), c. 1480
11 large miniatures, 8 square miniatures, 7 small miniatures, and 6 historiated initials by 2
anonymous artists
This imposing Book of Hours, richly illuminated with a remarkable series of miniatures, defies precise localization, although it was undoubtedly made in Normandy and its illuminators were familiar with Rouen painting
of the generation that produced the Playfair Hours. It was special ordered for a female patron and her daughter
who appear in one of the miniatures. An impressive and unusual series of illustrations associate each Gospel
reading with a different event of the Marian cycle. [BOH 72]
$ 140,000
3. BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rome)
In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment
Southern Netherlands, likely Bruges, c. 1460-1470
2 full-page miniatures by the Master of the Lee Hours
These Horae contain two remarkably high-quality miniatures from an original cycle that must have comprised
thirty miniatures. According to Gregory Clark, the artist is the Master of the Lee Hours, named after a Book of
Hours once owned by Ronald Lee that was made for the Duke Charles the Bold and his wife Isabelle of Bourbon.
Working in the circle of Willem Vrelant and perhaps identical with the Alexander Master, he was one of the
notable painters at the Burgundian court, and the donor of the present book, figured in one of its two miniatures, is dressed as a courtier of this court. [BOH 56]
$ 65,000
4
4. BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rome and of Sainte-Waudru, the Collegiate Church in Mons)
In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment
Southern Netherlands, Mons (Hainaut), c. 1450-1475
8 large and 2 small miniatures by the Master of Philippe of Croy and 2 large grisaille miniatures
by a second unidentified hand
Of an uncommon liturgical use, this Book of Hours was likely commissioned for a patron or canoness of
Sainte-Waudru [Saint Waletrudis], the collegiate church in Mons. The marginal decoration contains
heraldic symbols including arms, a motto “Riens plus,” and a monogram. The arms are currently unidentified but resemble the seal of local burgher, Colart Maselant (1456-1458). There are two hands
responsible for the miniatures. The first, the Master of Philippe of Croy, named after the books he made
in the period of 1457 to 1463 for the Burgundian nobleman of that name, many copied by Jacquemart
Pilavaine, painted the color miniatures, and a second hand, influenced by Jean le Tavernier, painted two
very delicate miniatures in grisaille. [BOH 97]
$ 100,000
5
5. HOURS OF JEAN LE SAUVAGE AND JACQUELINE DE BOULOGNE (Use of Rome)
In Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment
Flanders or Northern France, Tournai or Lille, dated 1503
15 large and 5 small miniatures by Jean Markant
Important for the history of miniature painting in the region of Lille and Tournai, this is the very manuscript
around which the career of its artist-scribe, Jean Markant has been reconstructed. The reappearance of this
long-lost manuscript signed and dated by colophon and with portraits and coats of arms of the donors, husband
and wife, prompts a reconsideration of the artist and his place in the evolution of manuscript illumination.
Signed and dated Books of Hours are rare. [BOH 59]
$ 140,000
6. FRANCISCAN BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rome)
In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment
Italy, Lombardy (Milan? Ferrara?), c. 1475
5 historiated initials by an anonymous artist
This small and intimate Book of Hours was written and illuminated for Franciscan use. It was probably owned
by a member of the Observant Franciscans, for which Bernardino of Siena was Vicar General in 1438. Known
for his devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, Bernardino devised a symbol which appears at the opening of the
manuscript -- IHS, the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek, in Gothic letters on a blazing sun. The
style of the decoration and the palette, with dark blue and magenta predominating, is typical of northern Italian
artists, especially productions of Ferrara and Modena. [BOH 55]
$ 55,000
6
7. LE BIGOT HOURS (Use of Rome)
In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment
France, Tours or Le Mans, late 1470s-c. 1480
12 miniatures (7 in camaïeu d'or) by Jean Bourdichon and possibly a related artist
This exquisite small manuscript, a twin to a Book on Hours in the Comites Latentes Collection, includes 12
miniatures, of which 7 are in camaïeu d'or. Nicholas Herman securely attributes the 5 opening miniatures to
the young Jean Bourdichon, painter to four kings of France and direct disciple of the celebrated Jean Fouquet
(died 1480). The camaïeu d'or miniatures once ascribed to Fouquet are now given by Herman to an artist who
if “not Bourdichon, he was undoubtedly an apprentice.” The manuscript was copied by the Parisian scribe Jean
Dubrueil, along with seven other manuscripts by Jean Fouquet, Jean Bourdichon, and the Maître François.
A French Renaissance “Fanfare” binding for the couple Francois le Bigot and Perrette d’Amours completes the
delightful ensemble. [BOH 17]
$ 325,000
7
8. BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rouen)
In Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment
France, Rouen, c. 1470-1480
13 miniatures by the Master of the Echévinage de Rouen
This Book of Hours is a fine example of Rouen manuscript production in the last quarter of the fifteenth century.
Its liturgical use for both the Hours of the Virgin and the Office of the Dead, along with its style of illumination,
confirm Rouen as its place of origin. The Master of the Echévinage de Rouen must have overseen a large workshop circa 1460 to 1480, with his principal patrons including the city aldermen (Echévins) of Rouen, after
whom he takes his name. The present manuscript contains thirteen skillfully-executed large, arch-topped
miniatures in his hand and is textually complete. [BOH 95]
$ 150,000
9. CALENDAR FROM A BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rouen)
In Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment
France, Rouen, c. 1500
12 miniatures by the Master of Amboise le Veneur
This substantial fragment of a Book of Hours must come from an unusually grand copy, one that included not
only a fully illuminated calendar but also bracket borders for most of the text pages. The style of the charming
calendar – illustrating the Labors of the Month and the Signs of the Zodiac – is consistent with that of the
illuminator known as the Master of the Missal of Ambroise Le Veneur, identified and studied by Isabelle
Delaunay and named after a grand Missal painted for the Bishop of Evreux. His style was strongly influenced
by that of the leading Rouen illuminator of his day, Robert Boyvin, known from surviving accounts for the
Palace of the Archbishops in Rouen and patronized by Georges d’Amboise. [BOH 89]
$ 38,000
8
10. BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rome)
In Latin and French, illuminated on parchment
Paris, Guillaume Le Rouge (active in Paris 1493-1517), c. 1510
17 miniatures by the Master of the Paris Entries; 41 large metalcuts, 5 small metalcuts, after
designs by the Master of the Petites Heures of Anne de Bretagne (Master of the Apocalypse
Rose), hand-painted.
These elegant Horae combine imprint and manuscript, likely supplying in manuscript form what was missing
from the imprint or perhaps attempting to personalize the copy. The miniatures are painted by the Master of
the Paris Entries (alias Jean Coene IV), a prolific artist active until the 1530s, who provided paintings for
manuscripts and printed books of hours. He is named after the manuscripts painted for the royal entries of
Mary Tudor (1514) and Claude de France (1517). The remaining illustrations are engravings from the small
octavo series cut for the printer Guillaume Le Rouge and compositions provided by the Master of the Petites
$ 50,000
Heures d’Anne de Bretagne for Thielman Kerver and Georg Wolff (Paris, 1497). [BOH 92]
11. BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Geert Grote)
In Dutch, illuminated manuscript on parchment
Eastern Netherlands, probably Zwolle, c. 1470-1480
1 full page miniature and 3 historiated initials by the Masters of the Zwolle Bible
This charming Book of Hours is illuminated by the Masters of the Zwolle Bible, perhaps under the supervision of the
Brethren of the Common Life at Zwolle in the Gregoriushuis. The Masters of the Zwolle Bible are a group of artists
identified from their production of a sumptuous six-volume Bible for the Community of the Brethren of the Common
Life in Zwolle, between 1462 and 1476, which was described in the 1989 exhibition as “finely decorated but never
excessively or exaggeratedly opulent … [the] colors are kept pale, and the illumination has a quality of extreme lightness.” It was most probably made for a resident of Utrecht, the “Tho[mas] Joffe,” whose late fifteenth-century ex-libris
in Dutch is visible with UV light on the last leaf. [BOH 94].
$ 75,000
9
12. THE FRANCOISE FORTIN HOURS (Use of Amiens?)
In Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment
France, Rouen, c. 1480
11 large miniatures by an artist related to the Master of the Echévinage de Rouen
Here is a highly personalized large-format Book of Hours that has many remarkable textual and pictorial
features. It was certainly made for a woman, for the text was clearly adapted to her, including not only prayers
in the feminine case but the interpolation of the Suffrage for St. Margaret, patron saint of childbirth, within
the Hours of the Virgin. The fine miniatures are accompanied by numerous marginal motifs of great charm
and imagination – children’s games, everyday genre scenes, a young girl with a unicorn (the owner?), and so
forth. The first owner, probably Françoise Fortin, was proud of her possession, for she signed the book in many
places, even promising a reward for its return, if lost. [BOH 99]
$ 140,000
10
13. BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rome)
In Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment
Southern Netherlands, Bruges, c. 1490-1505
14 full-page miniatures, 1 historiated initial and 12 calendar miniatures with full borders by the
Master of the David Scenes of the Grimani Breviary and workshop
A previously unknown, early work by an important Ghent-Bruges artist, the Master of the David Scenes, whose
early masterpiece is the Hours of Joanna of Castille in the British Library. Named for the unusual narrative
miniatures of the life of David in the Grimani Breviary, the illuminator has an extensive oeuvre and was
responsible mostly for small Books of Hours and Prayerbooks that were influenced by Simon Marmion (for the
half-length figures), Hans Memling, and Gerard David. The artist collaborated in the last half of his career with
the Master of James IV of Scotland and at least once with Simon Bening. Complete, in pristine condition, and
extensively illuminated, the present work – unpublished, not at auction, and from a private North American
Collection – fits neatly within a small group of manuscripts dated early in his career contemporary
with the Hours of Joanna of Castille.
POR
11
14 . BOOK OF HOURS [OF GUILLAUME BRAQUE?] (Use of Cambrai)
In Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment
France, Valenciennes, c. 1475-1480
1 large and 14 small miniatures by the Workshop of Simon Marmion
This made-to-order Book of Hours offers an excellent witness to the atelier of the painter-illuminator Simon
Marmion, called in his day the “prince of illumination.” Marc Gil has attributed the manuscript to a member
of his workshop who worked side-by-side with the master in the later 1470s. Little is known of the workshop
of Marmion so this Hours emerges as a key work for this inquiry. New research by Gregory Clark suggests
that it was written for the monastery of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Valenciennes, where Guillaume Braque was
abbot (and perhaps patron of the present work). [BOH 14]
$ 120,000
15. BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Paris)
In Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment
France, Paris, c. 1500
12 large and 16 small miniatures by the Master of Jean d’Albret, the Master of Liénart Baronet,
and the Master of Etienne Poncher
These Horae and its miniatures are the fruit of collaboration by three distinct artists, all working at the end of the
century in Paris. Inserted before the calendar, there is a rare added sequence of prayers to protect against ailments
and danger, and to help women achieve speedy child-birth. It is fittingly illustrated with a representation of presumably
Saint Roch, frequently invoked to cure ailments and protect from plague. [BOH 88]
$ 90,000
12
16. BOOK OF HOURS
In Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on vellum
France, Poitiers, c. 1480
8 large miniatures by the Master of Walters 222 (Jean Gillemer?)
Fine example of the unusual Poitevin style associated with the Master of Walters 222, an artist who is perhaps identical
with the artist Jean Gillemer (according to Véronique Day), whom we know from a fascinating set of trial documents.
The high foreheads, expressive faces and figures, and muted palette characterize this interesting artist, who in the
present miniatures (for the rare Hours of the Compassion of the Virgin) demonstrates his familiarity with the art of
other centers, particularly that of Tours. This cross-fertilization is all the more interesting in the light of Jean Gillemer’s
extensive travels through the region, revealed from the archival documents. [BOH 65]
$ 80,000
17. PRINTED BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rome)
In Latin and French, printed on parchment
Paris, Gillet Hardouyn, c. 1515 (almanac for 1515-1530)
21 large and 29 small metal engravings, after designs by Jean Pichore, all hand-colored
The high-quality contemporary painting of the metalcuts in this rare imprint (two other recorded copies) is attributed
to an artist in the workshop of Jean Pichore, the leading illuminator and print designer in Paris in the first decades of
the sixteenth century. The large metalcuts demonstrate the movement away from the courtly Gothic heritage of the
older Master of Très Petites Heures of Anne of Brittany towards more intricate, mannered forms derived from German
and Netherlandish prints and influenced by Albrecht Dürer. [BOH 82]
$ 90,000
13
18. BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rome)
In Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment
Southern Netherlands, probably Bruges, c. 1460-1465
19 large miniatures and 15 small miniatures by the workshop of Willem Vrelant, probably by
the Mildmay Master
With its extraordinarily well preserved and sumptuous miniature cycle including refined decorative borders for
all text pages, this Book of Hours was illuminated by one of Willem Vrelant's most prolific collaborators in
Bruges, the Mildmay Master. It is a harmonious piece of work, consistently executed by one hand. Stylistically,
it seems to be very close to the very manuscript in Chicago (Newberry Library, MS 35) that gave the artist his
name. Made around 1460 it was commissioned by a man called Johannes, who probably came from Troyes in
North Eastern France or French Flanders, and is preserved in a beautiful textile binding probably from the
seventeenth century. [BOH 96]
$ 280,000
14
19. BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rome)
In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment
France, Lyon, c. 1495-1510
11 full page miniatures, 1 half page miniature, and 28 small miniatures
This handsome, richly illuminated Book of Hours is a good example of manuscript production in the age of
print. It was painted by a prolific multi-talented artist, Guillaume II Le Roy, who was active as an illuminator at
the same time that he supplied drawings and designs for illustrations for the printing industry and executed
large-scale media (panel-painting and ephemeral art related to royal entries or celebrations). He was the son
or nephew of the first printer established in Lyons and probably of Flemish origin. [BOH 46]
$ 275,000
20. HOURS OF THE VALLOT FAMILY (Use of Rome)
In Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment
France, Dijon, c. 1475-1490
6 full page miniatures, 14 small miniatures, and 6 historiated initials by the Master of the
Burgundian Prelates (Pierre Changelet?)
Manuscripts by the Master of the Burgundian Prelates are rare. All the artist’s known works confirm his activity
in Burgundy and help us refine ideas about his monumental style (he was active also as a painter). This
manuscript was owned in the late fifteenth century by members of the Vallot family of Dijon. The present
Hours is noteworthy for its large scale, its illustrious provenance, and its clean fresh condition. Its high quality
is consistent with other chef d’oeuvres by the Master, especially the Missal of Richard Chambellan (Paris, BnF,
MS lat. 881). [BOH 91]
$ 270,000
15
21. ALBUM FROM A BOOK OF HOURS
In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment
France, Paris or the Loire Valley, Tours, c. 1524
12 large and 6 small miniatures by an artist in the circle of Etienne Collault
Composed as a picture album, this manuscript preserves the vestiges of what was surely a deluxe made-toorder Book of Hours. The style of our painter is close to Etienne Collault, a Parisian artist documented in the
1520s, working for the King and the court. It also includes an illumination by Caleb William Wing (1801-1875),
called in his obituary “the best facsimile copyist of ancient illuminations.” The arms of the patron, a merchant’s
mark, appear twice in the manuscript. [BOH 3]
$ 80,000
22. ALBUM OF SUFFRAGES AND PRAYERS FROM A BOOK OF HOURS
In Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum
Eastern France, c. 1475-1500
11 large miniatures
This set of suffrages and Prayers to Christ, undoubtedly a fragment from a larger Book of Hours, contains a series
of eleven charming miniatures executed in a naïve provincial style using ink wash and gouache-like pigments.
Various details provide clues to localization. The suffrage to Saint Justus of Beauvais would seem to indicate a
location in the Oise or at least the region of Picardy (Justus was reputedly martyred between Beauvais and Senlis,
while on a journey to Amiens). The coat-of-arms held by Saint Michael is plainly that of Savoie (gules a cross argent). Saint Adrian of Nicomedia, whose cult was widespread in Northern France, holds a coat-of-arms quartered
with the Ahun and Panat families, in place of his usual mallet and anvil. [BOH 64]
$ 30,000
16
23. BOOK OF HOURS (Premonstratensian Use)
In Latin and Dutch, illuminated manuscript on parchment
Southern Netherlands, probably Antwerp, c. 1420-1430
10 miniatures and 11 historiated initials perhaps by the Masters of the Brno Speculum, a
follower of the Master of Mary of Guelders
The markets of Antwerp attracted producers and buyers from both northern and southern Netherlands and
may have been where this Hours with its unusual mixture of northern and southern features was produced.
The sequence of miniatures showing paired saints betrays all the characteristics of the so-called International
Style of Pre-Eyckian painting: sinuous lines, soft drapery, translucent and bright colors. These finely painted
miniatures are in a later development of the style of the Master of Mary of Guelders, showing similarities with
that of the Masters of the Brno Speculum, both active in the Guelders/Utrecht region in the first decade of the
fifteenth century. [BOH 98]
$ 265,000
17
24. PRINTED BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rome)
In Latin and French, printed on parchment and hand-colored
Paris, German Hardouyn, c. 1526 (almanach for 1526-1541)
17 large metalcuts 10 small and 16 medallions after designs by Jean Pichore and his workshop
Germain Hardouin was a prolific Parisian printer, who often worked in tandem with his brother Gillet Hardouin.
Together or separately, the two brothers furnished the Paris market and the provinces with a large number of
impressions of printed Books of Hours, often hand-colored like this one. The metalcuts were made after designs
by Jean Pichore, an illuminator and engraver in Paris at the end of the fifteenth century and are in part from
the series drawn by the artist for Germain Hardouin and in part drawn from those made for another printer
Guillaume Eustache. Illuminated architectural borders, entirely in manuscript, are added to every metalcut, in
imitation of manuscript Horae. [BOH 60]
$ 60,000
25. PRINTED BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Chartres)
In Latin and French, printed on parchment
Paris, Philippe Pigouchet for Simone Vostre, c. 1507 (almanac for 1507-1527)
18 large and 28 small metal cuts after designs by the Master of the Très Petites Heures of Anne
of Brittany and Jean Pichore
A rare 1507 edition for the Use of Chartres by Simon Vostre (only one other copy recorded), who was one of
the most important Parisian printers and stationers. This imprint combines the Gothic-style prints from the
1495-1498 Octavo series by the Master of the Très Petites Heures of Anne of Brittany with those that are more
Renaissance in style and were newly created for Vostre in 1504 by Jean Pichore, including numerous full-page
cuts, as well as the famous Dance of Death sequence. [BOH 58]
$ 30,000
18
26. BOOK OF HOURS (Use of Rome)
In Latin and French, illuminated on parchment
Paris, Gilles Hardouin (active in Paris, 1491-1521), c. 1509 (almanach for 1509-1524)
17 metalcuts, 3 smaller metalcuts, after designs by the Workshop of Jean Pichore, hand-painted
likely in the Workshop of Hardouin
Printed Book of Hours for the use of Rome, these Horae are a fine example of a Parisian printed book of hours,
enhanced with period coloring. The format (octavo agenda) of these Horae is unusual, very narrow and oblong,
allowing for easy use as a vademecum for private devotion. It is a rare imprint, with only two other known copies
(London, BL; Tenschert and Nettekoven, III, no. 143). Gilles Hardouin was one of the great printers of first quarter
of the sixteenth century, who printed sometimes with his brother Germain Hardouin (active 1500-1541). These
Horae contain engravings based on designs from the workshop of Jean Pichore. [BOH93]
$ 45,000
27. WOVEN PRAYER BOOK
In Latin and French, woven of gray and black silk
Lyon, R. P. J. Hervier, designer; J. A. Herver, manufacturer; realized for A. Roux, 1886-1887
This unorthodox Book of Prayers is machine woven of gray and black silk, using the Jacquard system of punch
cards. It is evidently the only woven book ever produced, and the technique anticipates computer programming.
Submitted by the city of Lyons to the Universal Exposition of 1889, the book won the “grand prix.” Its illustrative
program draws widely on Italian Renaissance painting and French manuscript illumination, including
manuscripts of the Duke of Berry. Approximately 30 copies are recorded mostly in European and American
institutions. [BOH 84]
$ 55,000
19
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