Curatorial Snapshots: McGill’s Books of Hours

By: Merika Ida Ramundo December 18, 2018 Features

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Richard Virr, Retired Chief Curator, Rare Books and Special Collections and co-curator of the Resplendent Illuminations exhibit currently running at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has chosen 13 notable images from McGill’s holdings to give us a taste of this remarkable collection of devotional materials. Enjoy the slideshow and read more about the MMFA exhibit and our physical and digital collection below.

Books of Hours were sometimes personalized by inscribing in them the names of the owners' patrons. This personalized leaf marks the marriage of Jehan Drulhon, a citizen of Clermont in the Auvergne, and Antoinette Fayete. These names and the initials I A, linked by a love knot, are traced in black capitals. LVH.0013. 1-2 MS 105. Manuscript leaf of the Heures, dites de Drulhon-Fayete Master of Guillaume Lambert (and his workshop for the borders) About 1475-1480, Lyon.
This leaf was clearly very costly and is evidence of the assimilation by Norman artists of some models of the Italian Renaissance. The recto, Parisian in style, is framed by a gilt border line imitating wood that surmounts a pattern of knots and arabesques. The illuminated border on the verso consists of an ornamental repertoire from the Italian Renaissance. LVH.0015 MS 110. Litanies and Office of the Dead Jean Serpin (?) About 1510-1520 (?), Normandy (Rouen?)
Saint Helena and her son the emperor Constantine, both wearing crowns, gaze at a seated figure who has just been revived through the miraculous power of the True Cross. The legend of Saint Helena was important to the German states. Fragments of the True Cross and relics of the saint were supposedly preserved in Trier. LVH.0031 MS 162. Saint Helena and the Invention of the True Cross. About 1520, southern Germany.
For the Office of the Dead, the artist painted a corpse in a cemetery above which Saint Michael and the Devil are fighting for the soul of the dead man, traditionally depicted as a baby. LVH.0028 MS 102. Seven miniatures from a breviary Master of the Échevinage of Rouen About 1470,
The scene of the Adoration of the Magi is set in front of a décor of Burgundian architecture that includes dovecotes, and the three Wise Men, guided to the manger by the Star of Bethlehem, are wearing long pointed shoes in the fashion of the 1490s. LVH.0041 MS 154 Tabourot-Bernard Hours Master of the Burgundian Prelates and an assistant About 1480-1490, Burgundy.
This manuscript is notable for the remarkable beauty of the illuminations in semi-grisaille and the freshness of scenes taken from real life. This book was for the liturgical use of the founder of the Brothers of the Common Life, Geert Groote, who translated the Office of the Virgin into Dutch in about 1385 and was the instigator of Devotio moderna. LVH.0038 MS 100. Hours for the use of Geert Groote Masters of Hugo Janszoon van Woerden. About 1490-1500, Leyden.
Going by the text marks and the portrayal of the sponsor, seen kneeling facing Mary in the Annunciation scene, this manuscript was executed for a woman. She seems to take precedence over the angel Gabriel who flutters above her. LVH.0042 MS 155. Rhodes Hours. Two artists in the Circle of the Master of Coëtivy. About 1460-1465, Paris.
One of five images that illustrate the psalter of the breviary. This one shows David playing the harp (psalm 1). LVH.0022 MS102. Seven miniatures from a breviary Master of the Échevinage of Rouen. About 1470,
Saint Barbara became very popular in the 15th century and was invoked in the Suffrages against lightning and sudden death without the Sacraments. LVH.0016 MS 149. Suffrages of Saint Barbara Workshop in Paris (?) About 1475-1485
This intriguing leaf consists of two miniatures back to back but no text. The recto depicts the scene of the Arrest of Christ and the Kiss of Judas and the verso, almost entirely washed out, shows vestiges of the scene of Jesus before Pilate. LVH.0030 MS 161. Leaf from a manuscript psalter. Anonymous About 1235-1250, Augsburg. Recto featured above.
This intriguing leaf consists of two miniatures back to back but no text. The recto depicts the scene of the Arrest of Christ and the Kiss of Judas and the verso, almost entirely washed out, shows vestiges of the scene of Jesus before Pilate. LVH.0030 MS 161. Leaf from a manuscript psalter. Anonymous About 1235-1250, Augsburg. Verso featured above.
Christ has ordered the removal of the stone covering the tomb of his friend, who was buried four days earlier. The miniaturist has faithfully followed the gospel of Saint John the Evangelist but has added the orb in Christ’s hand and omitted the bandages that were used to tie the hands of the dead man. LVH.0020 MS 189. The Raising of Lazarus and the start of the eve of the Office of the Dead Member of the Masters of the Gols Scrolls, a disciple of the illuminator of ms. Grisebach 4 of the Kunstbibliothek of Berlin About 1450, Bruges
The images in this Book of Hours were painted by Cornelia van Wulfscherchke, a Carmelite nun in Bruges. Aware of the trends that were in fashion during her time, Sister Cornelia reproduced models but added her own touch, characterized by a certain liveliness and also by stocky figures with straight, flat noses and eyes reduced to black dots in a wide oval face. LVH.0040 MS 109. Officium beate Marie secundum usum Romanum Cornelia van Wulfscherchke (Carmelite) About 1500-1510, Bruges.

This is the very first exhibition at the MMFA dedicated to the Books of Hours in medieval and Renaissance art, offering a chance to discover an overlooked heritage through a remarkable selection of illuminations and bound manuscripts preserved in Quebec, dating from the 13th to the 16th centuries. Books of hours were created for lay people and were popularized by the Christian faithful. These manuscripts were, for the most part, personalized and illuminated with miniature paintings ― or illuminations ― illustrating the life of Christ, the saints or the Virgin Mary. They incorporated a calendar of holy and religious feasts, passages from the gospels and prayers. The fruit of in-depth academic research, this exhibition comprises more than 50 artifacts (leaves, complete manuscripts, prints), which offer an up-close look at these treasures gathered from seven collections.

An exhibition organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, in collaboration with Université du Québec à Montréal and McGill University. – MMFA site

There’s still time to catch Resplendent Illuminations: Books of Hours from the 13th to the 16th Century in Quebec Collections as it runs until 6 January 2019. Click here for more information. if you can’t make it to the exhibit, visit our digital collection Horae: Collection of Books of Hours here.

Tagged with: Rare Books and Special Collections

Curatorial Snapshots: McGill’s Books of Hours

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