{"id":8594,"date":"2026-01-27T22:47:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T22:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/?page_id=8594"},"modified":"2026-01-27T23:08:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T23:08:02","slug":"fascimile-grimani-breviary","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\/","title":{"rendered":"Grimani Breviary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Grimani Breviary<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Ghent and Bruges (Belgium)\u00a0\u2014 1510\u20131520<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Probably the most extensive highlight of Flemish book art: beautiful illuminations comprising impressive miniatures and fantastical borders on almost every one of the fabulous 1,664 pages, created by the most important masters of the time.<\/p>\n

The famous\u00a0Grimani Breviary<\/em>\u00a0is considered to be one of the most outstanding testimonials to early 16th century Flemish book illumination. Created around 1510\u20131520 in Bruges and Ghent, numerous leading illuminators were involved in its creation, including great masters such as Gerard David (around 1460\u20131523), Simon Bening (around 1483\u20131561) and Gerard Horenbout (1465\u20131541). The 1,664 pages of the precious breviary are thoroughly illuminated: in addition to 80 elaborate full-page miniatures and wonderful calendar pages, each of which is a work of art on its own, charmingly arranged borders of flowers, fruit, tendrils, insects, small animals and filigree architecture adorn the liturgical texts. The eponym for this opulent Renaissance masterpiece is the Venetian cardinal, Doge’s son and renowned art collector Domenico Grimani (1461\u20131523), who acquired it in 1520 and whose portrait was immortalized in a gilded bronze medallion on the original velvet binding.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0wonderful calendar<\/strong>\u00a0is considered to be one of the greatest treasures in the\u00a0Grimani Breviary<\/em>: the splendor of the manuscript finds expression in the\u00a0full-page miniatures with the typical depictions of the course of the agricultural year<\/strong>. For example, there is an especially beautiful scene of winter, which simultaneously depicts an interior space and the events outside under the night\u2019s sky. Yet this is only one of countless grandiose miniatures adorning the manuscript.\u00a0120 full-page and numerous smaller miniatures<\/strong>\u00a0illustrate Christian scenes above all. This exceptional visual experience is brilliantly rounded out by the exuberant decoration of the ornamental and figurative marginal decorations with flowers, animals, fruits, and architectural motifs.<\/p>\n

A Highpoint of Flemish Illumination<\/h3>\n

The\u00a0Grimani Breviary<\/em>\u00a0is considered to be\u00a0an outstanding specimen of Flemish illumination during the Renaissance<\/strong>\u00a0because of its\u00a0exceptionally high-quality and lavish book adornment<\/strong>, a highpoint in the history of illumination! Originating ca. 1510\u201320 in Flanders, numerous artists with famous names contributed to its genesis, including Gerard Horenbout, Simon and Alexander Bening, Gerard David, and the so-called Master of the David Scenes in the\u00a0Grimani Breviary<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Miniature Painting at the Highest Level<\/h3>\n

The manuscript\u2019s namesake,\u00a0Cardinal Domenico Grimani<\/strong>\u00a0(1461\u20131523), acquired the codex ca. 1520 and\u00a0bequeathed it to the Republic of Venice<\/strong>. Thus, the\u00a0Grimani Breviary<\/em>\u00a0belonged to the San Marco treasury until 1781 and is housed today in the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice. A\u00a0splendid binding with dark-red velvet and gilded bronze ornaments<\/strong>\u00a0makes the connection to Cardinal Domenico Grimani clear. A portrait of him is recorded on the front cover and a portrait of Doge Giovanni Grimani, his father, is found on the back. In this way, the exterior also fits the outstanding position of the\u00a0Grimani Breviary<\/em>\u00a0as\u00a0one of the most complex and interesting, beautiful and valuable Flemish manuscripts of the 16th century<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Codicology<\/h3>\n

Alternative Titles
\n<\/strong>Breviarium Grimani
\nBreviario Grimani<\/p>\n

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

Size \/ Format
\n<\/strong>1,664 pages \/ 27.5 \u00d7 19.5 cm<\/p>\n

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

Date
\n<\/strong>1510\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>
\nLiturgical Manuscripts<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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

Script
\n<\/strong>Gothic Textura<\/p>\n

Illustrations
\n<\/strong>80 full-page miniatures; 1550 quarter-pages illuminations depicting vegetation, animals, insects and architecture, but also figural scenes; numerous decorated initials<\/p>\n

Content
\n<\/strong>Calendar, Proprium de tempore, Psalter, Offices not related to the church year, Proprium sanctorum<\/p>\n

Artist \/ School
\n<\/strong>Gerard Horenbout
\nSimon Bening
\nAlexander Bening (the Master of the First Prayer Book of Maximilian)
\nGerard David
\nMaster of the David Scenes in the Grimani Breviary<\/p>\n

Previous Owners
\n<\/strong>Cardinal Domenico Grimani
\nGiovanni Grimani
\nDoge Pascale Cocogna<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Grimani Breviary Ghent and Bruges (Belgium)\u00a0\u2014 1510\u20131520 Probably the most extensive highlight of Flemish book art: beautiful illuminations comprising impressive miniatures and fantastical borders on almost every one of the…<\/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-8594","page","type-page","status-publish"],"yoast_head":"\nGrimani Breviary | Cardinal Stafford Library<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Grimani Breviary | Cardinal Stafford Library\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Grimani Breviary Ghent and Bruges (Belgium)\u00a0\u2014 1510\u20131520 Probably the most extensive highlight of Flemish book art: beautiful illuminations comprising impressive miniatures and fantastical borders on almost every one of the...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cardinal Stafford Library\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-27T23:08:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sjvdenver.edu\\\/library\\\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sjvdenver.edu\\\/library\\\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\\\/\",\"name\":\"Grimani Breviary | Cardinal Stafford Library\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sjvdenver.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-27T22:47:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-27T23:08:02+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sjvdenver.edu\\\/library\\\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sjvdenver.edu\\\/library\\\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sjvdenver.edu\\\/library\\\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sjvdenver.edu\\\/library\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Grimani Breviary\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sjvdenver.edu\\\/library\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sjvdenver.edu\\\/library\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cardinal Stafford Library\",\"description\":\"Archdiocese of Denver\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sjvdenver.edu\\\/library\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Grimani Breviary | Cardinal Stafford Library","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Grimani Breviary | Cardinal Stafford Library","og_description":"Grimani Breviary Ghent and Bruges (Belgium)\u00a0\u2014 1510\u20131520 Probably the most extensive highlight of Flemish book art: beautiful illuminations comprising impressive miniatures and fantastical borders on almost every one of the...","og_url":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\/","og_site_name":"Cardinal Stafford Library","article_modified_time":"2026-01-27T23:08:02+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\/","url":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\/","name":"Grimani Breviary | Cardinal Stafford Library","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-01-27T22:47:58+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-27T23:08:02+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/fascimile-grimani-breviary\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Grimani Breviary"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/","name":"Cardinal Stafford Library","description":"Archdiocese of Denver","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8594"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8595,"href":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8594\/revisions\/8595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}