ILLUMINATION/PAINTING

Within this Book of Hours, there are ten miniatures in total. There are eight smaller miniatures, and two full page miniatures. These tiny pictures are depicted with the use of many colors and are surrounded by full page illuminated borders. These borders are very elegant, and include flowers, fruit, and on a couple occasions, birds. The borders could possibly be considered a rinceaux border, due to the intertwined, fine foliated branched. Rinceaux was an ornament common to fifteenth century as well as the fourteenth century (Brown).

The first miniature in the book is on the recto side of the 13th folio. Here you see St. John of Patmos. In this miniature, you see the saint writing on a scroll near what appears to be water. Next to him is a bird of some sort. Red, gold, green and blue are the colors used in this miniature. Again, the picture is surrounded by a very floral and colorful border. The appearance fruit is most noticeable in this border. This page also includes 18 lines of script in black ink as well.

The next miniature is on the recto side of the 21st folio. This is the first full page miniature, which depicts the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary. In this picture you see the Virgin Mary and the angel Gabriel. In the background a tent structure and a dove are present. Red, blue and gold are the colors that dominate this miniature. The border that surrounds this picture is floral, and on the right side, there is a rooster.

On the recto side of the 87th folio you see a miniature of King David in prayer. In this picture, King David is kneeling in prayer with his crown and a harp sitting next to him on the ground. Above him is an angel that appears to be holding a sword. In the background is a building structure. King David is wearing robes of blue, red and gold. The floral border is present, and on the right side there is a bird of some sort.

The rest of the remaining miniatures are smaller than the previous two. Along with the pictures, there are also floral borders, and 18 lines of text on each of these pages. The first of these is on the verso side of the 113th folio, and depicts the Man of Sorrows. This picture shows Christ wearing the crown of thorn, and shows the wound on his hands and side. He is standing in a white box and there is landscape in the background. White and green are the main colors seen here. This miniature is not as colorful as the others. The next miniature illustrates the Crucifixion and is located on the verso side of the 115th folio. You see Christ on the cross, with the halo. There is a landscape in the background. Like the previous miniature, this one is not as colorful as the others. White and green are the main colors seen. Yellow is used in the halo.

The remaining miniatures show various saints. The first is St. John the Baptist. This is located on the verso side of the 117 folio. St. John is dressed in a red and gold robe, holding a blue cushion with a small lamb sitting on it. There is use of a landscape background here are well. St. Anthony is next and is located on the recto side of the 118th folio. St. Anthony is dressed in a robe of gold and black. He is holding a walking stick. Standing next to him is lamb or goat that appears to be eating. There is also something red and flame-like at his feet. The next miniature is on the recto side of the 119th folio. This picture shows St. Marcoul reading from a book and holding a staff. He is dressed in a black robe. Behind him is a wall of red and black. A faint gold design on the red background is also apparent. This miniature appears to be a bit rubbed out compared to the others, making its color a bit dull. St. Catherine is found on the verso side of the 119th folio. This saint is dress in blue, with a gold cape. She is holding a black staff in one hand and an open book in the other. Again, you see the red and black background with the gold pattern on the red. The gold pattern stands out more in this miniature. The final saint that is depicted is on the verso side of the 120th folio. This is St. Barbara. She is wearing a blue dress with a red and gold cape. There seems to be a castle structure in the background.

The 10 miniatures are not the only illuminated elements of Horae Beatae Mariae Virginis. There are several very ornate initials throughout the book. The letters are embellished with gold, purple, blue, white, green, and red. Inside each of the letters is a colorful of flower. Gilt capitals are also used to indicate new sections in the book. Blue and red ink is used as well. Throughout the book the scribe alternated between the use of blue and red or blue and gold to make certain initials stand out. Gilt is also used in the line fillers, along with blue. Gilt capitals are also seen in the calendar pages to indicate the new month.