Dominican Hours
- Workshop of the Masters of the First Prayer Book of Maximilian
- Workshop of the Masters of the Prayerbooks
- An artist close to Gerard Horenbout
Manuscript in Latin on vellum
Flanders, Bruges or Ghent, 1510–1520.
191 x 133 mm
220'000,- CHF (VAT not included)
188 leaves. 55 illuminated openings with fully decorated borders, as well as an extraordinary calen-dar with 24 small scenes in the borders showing seasonal tasks for peasants and nobility as well as zodiacal signs. 32 small miniatures accompanying the gospel lessons, some prayers and the suffrages. Textually complete. Purple velvet binding over thin wooden boards, newer brass clasp.
This is a splendid example of a Book of Hours, likely made for the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Granada, a Dominican house founded by Isabella the Catholic and Ferdinand of Aragon on 20 March 1492.
The manuscript remained there until at least 1585, when it was revised and corrected by the Spanish Inquisition, as recorded on one of the flyleaves. Further supporting this provenance are several compelling features: the presence of Dominican saints, Spanish script, and rare saints in the litany and the suffrages (with image!), such as Saint Onuphrius, who was especially venerated in Spain. Despite the loss of its full-page miniatures, the exceptional quality of this manuscript remains undeniable. The surviving illuminated pages, particularly the finest examples from the calendar, rival the splendour of celebrated works such as the Mayer van den Bergh Breviary. These comparisons underscore the manuscript’s position as a remarkable testament to the refinements of Flemish art, created not only for devotional use but also for international export.
As the large miniatures in this magnificent Book of Hours have all been removed, it is impossible to determine with certainty the original involvement of all the artists. Judging by the style of the borders and the small miniatures in this book, more than one artist was active. Most of the borders is stylistically grouped around the Master of the First Prayer Book for Maximilian and the Masters of the Prayer Books around 1500. A third, outstanding character, who contributed two highly amusing borders (on ff. 179v and 186v) with dynamic and mischievous children or putti, can be placed in the orbit of Gerhard Horenbout. However, it is almost impossible to pinpoint the exact involvement of the two first-named artists in our book. Their styles overlap and it is very plausible to assume that the two shared the work on the borders. The stunning images for the calendar rather seem to have been the responsibility of the Master of the Prayerbooks, for he is known for his talent to bring secular scenes to life and let them sparkle. Also, the small images for the gospel sequenced, individual prayers and the suffrages of the saints appear to be the result of a collaboration.
