{"id":8571,"date":"2026-01-27T16:18:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T16:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/?page_id=8571"},"modified":"2026-01-27T16:18:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T16:18:20","slug":"fascimile-flemish-book-of-hours-of-marie-de-medici","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/fascimile-flemish-book-of-hours-of-marie-de-medici\/","title":{"rendered":"Flemish Book of Hours of Marie de Medici"},"content":{"rendered":"

Flemish Book of Hours of Marie de Medici<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Bruges or Ghent (Belgium)\u00a0\u2014 1515\u20131520<\/h2>\n

Named after the French queen from the House of Medici: a precious Flemish Book of Hours of extraordinary imagery, created by the famous Master of the David Scenes in the Grimani Breviary.<\/p>\n

The beautiful\u00a0Flemish Book of Hours of Marie de Medici<\/em>\u00a0is undoubtedly one of the most magnificent books of hours produced by the Ghent-Bruges school in the Late Middle Ages. The splendid masterpiece was created between 1515 and 1520 by the anonymous \u201cMaster of the David Scenes in the\u00a0Breviarium Grimani<\/em>.\u201d The precious manuscript became famous for its extraordinary wealth of imagery. Numerous large-format miniatures and elaborate wide historiated borders illuminate the numerous biblical stories and saints in precisely crafted and perspectively convincing interiors, cityscapes, and natural landscapes \u2014 one of the special talents of the gifted illuminator. Imaginative smaller borders and often wonderfully historiated decorated initials round off this splendor. This opulent gem of Flemish Renaissance art, whose original patron remains unknown, takes its name from its later owner, the French queen Marie de Medici (1573\u20131642).<\/p>\n

Flemish Book of Hours of Marie de Medici<\/h3>\n

Books of hours were probably the most popular type of book towards the end of the Middle Ages<\/strong>. The private devotional books were named after the prayers that were supposed to be performed at specific times of day. Every book of hours was a collection of various prayers and gospel readings, which included, among others, the Office of the Virgin, the Passion of the Christ, and the Office of the Dead.\u00a0An example of particular artistic value originates from the Netherlands between 1515 and 1520<\/strong>, namely the\u00a0Book of Hours of Marie de Medici<\/em>. The codex contains\u00a0three full page, painterly illustrations, 42 full page miniatures, as well as gilded initials and embellished borders<\/strong>\u00a0on each page.<\/p>\n

The Talented Master of the David<\/h3>\n

The illuminator, who is responsible for the ornate book of hours, is only known today by his name of convenience\u00a0Master of the David Scenes in the Grimani Breviary<\/strong>. He was one of the greatest masters of Flemish book art, one mentions him in one breath with\u00a0famous book painters Gerard Horenbout and Simon Bening<\/strong>. The\u00a0Book of Hours of Marie de Medici<\/em>\u00a0is counted among the most magnificent and beautiful works of its kind<\/strong>. The fame of the painter and the rich colors and gilded book decoration are\u00a0indicative of a wealthy commissioner<\/strong>. Their name, however, is not known.<\/p>\n

An Eventful History<\/h3>\n

The Flemish Book of Hours is\u00a0today known by the name of its latter owner<\/strong>, namely\u00a0Queen Marie de Medici<\/strong>. The widow of the French King Henry IV, who unsuccessfully plotted against Cardinal Richelieu, was forced into\u00a0exile in Brussels<\/strong>\u00a0in 1631. Here she acquired the spectacular codex.\u00a0She lived out the last years of her life in Cologne<\/strong>\u00a0in the house of the painter Peter Paul Ruben. On the inside of the front cover it is noted that Marie left the work in Cologne, where it was probably acquired by the\u00a0English book collector Francis Douce<\/strong>. The manuscript went to the famous\u00a0Bodlein Library in Oxford<\/strong>\u00a0with his inheritance in 1834.<\/p>\n

Fantastic Book Painting in Bruges<\/h3>\n

The miniatures of the\u00a0Flemish Book of Hours<\/em>\u00a0are a truly\u00a0breathtaking example of Dutch book painting<\/strong>. All the compositions are designed in a\u00a0luminous selection of colors with brushed gold<\/strong>. The painter staged\u00a0lively stories<\/strong>\u00a0and designed people and buildings\u00a0realistically and with attention to detail<\/strong>. He caringly depicted the\u00a0architectural achievements of the late Gothic period<\/strong>\u00a0in particular. He conceptualized views of the squares and streets, church buildings, studios and private rooms, which take the beholder back in his time. The Flemish masters from Bruges and Ghent did not unjustly consider themselves to be the\u00a0wunderkinds of book painting<\/strong>\u00a0and after the invention of book printing their manuscripts were desired around the world.<\/p>\n

Unique Innovations<\/h3>\n

A particular characteristic of the\u00a0Book of Hours of Marie de Medici<\/em>\u00a0is the\u00a0perspectival images spaces<\/strong>\u00a0of the miniatures and the\u00a0richly decorated borders<\/strong>. The gifted Master of the David commanded the spatially-perspective depictions so perfectly that he succeeds in\u00a0leading the eyes of the beholder directly inward toward the spaces or landscapes<\/strong>. Thus, the miniatures became works of art that are in no way inferior to the paintings of the great Dutch artists. The artist succeeded in particular by highlighting the borders which surrounded the miniatures. He\u00a0told further stories with the plants and insects of the elaborate borders, which referred to the theme of the primary miniature<\/strong>. Through his refined construction, he created a unified space from both pictures.<\/p>\n

Codicology<\/h3>\n

Alternative Titles
\n<\/strong>Stundenbuch von Marie de Medici
\nDas Fl\u00e4mische Stundenbuch der Maria von Medici
\nLivre d’heures flamand de Marie de M\u00e9dicis
\nFl\u00e4misches Stundenbuch der Maria von Medici<\/p>\n

Type
\n<\/strong>Manuscript on parchment<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Size \/ Format
\n<\/strong>352 pages \/ 20.4 \u00d7 13.7 cm<\/p>\n

Origin
\n<\/strong>Belgium<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Date
\n<\/strong>1515\u20131520<\/p>\n

Epochs
\n<\/strong>Late Middle Ages Onwards<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Style
\n<\/strong>Renaissance<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Genre
\n<\/strong>Private Devotion Books<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Language
\n<\/strong>Latin<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Script
\n<\/strong>Littera bastarda<\/p>\n

Illustrations
\n<\/strong>3 large, painting-like miniatures, 42 full-page illuminations and numerous historiated initials. Dozens of borders with flowers on a gold background or historiated borders in Flemish or Italian style on every page.<\/p>\n

Content
\n<\/strong>Book of hours<\/p>\n

Artist \/ School
\n<\/strong>Master of the David Scenes in the Breviarium Grimani
\nGhent-Bruges school<\/p>\n

Previous Owners
\n<\/strong>Marie de Medici (1573\u20131642), Queen of France
\nG. K. Fochem
\nFrancis Douce (1757\u20131834)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Flemish Book of Hours of Marie de Medici Bruges or Ghent (Belgium)\u00a0\u2014 1515\u20131520 Named after the French queen from the House of Medici: a precious Flemish Book of Hours of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8571","page","type-page","status-publish"],"yoast_head":"\nFlemish Book of Hours of Marie de Medici | Cardinal Stafford Library<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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