A Book of Hours is the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript. Each Book of Hours is unique, but all contain a collection of texts, prayers and psalms, along with appropriate illustrations, to form a convenient reference for Christian worship and devotion.
In its original form, a Book of Hours would list the appropriate texts for each liturgical hour of the day. However, over time, other useful references were often added, especially calendars of the religious and secular year along with the prayers and masses required for certain holy days.
As many Books of Hours are richly illuminated, they form an important record of life in the 15th and 16th centuries as well as the iconography of medieval Christianity.
Towards the end of the 15th century, various printed versions of the Book of Hours were produced, with woodcut illustrations.
One of the most famous Books of Hours, and one of the most richly illuminated medieval manuscripts, is the Très Riches Heures painted sometime between 1412 and 1416 in France for John, Duke of Berry.
See also
References
- The Oxford Dictionary of Art ISBN 0192800221
External links
- http://humanities.uchicago.edu/images/heures/heures.html
- http://www.christusrex.org/www2/berry/index.html
- http://www.pecia.tooblog.fr [Blog : Le manuscrit médiéval]