c.1485. Attributed to the Masters of Adolph of Cleves, and additional hands. Present-day Belgium (Ghent?). Parchment, ink, paint, gold. Height of leaves: 8.2 in (20.9 cm); width of leaves: 5.6 in (14.2 cm). Wyvern Collection, 0487; ff. 167v/168r
Popular from the fourteenth to the mid-sixteenth century, Books of Hours included a set of prayers meant to be recited at regular intervals throughout the twenty-four hour day, in imitation of the daily cycles of prayers intoned by monks and nuns. Along with text, these books often contained skillfully designed and painted illuminations – illustration and ornamentation – that augmented the private religious experience by featuring artistic renderings of saints and biblical scenes. The Book of Hours allowed well-to-do lay people to practice religion in their own homes and gain access to prayers that were once exclusive to the clergy and to members of monasteries. However, no two Books of Hours are exactly the same even though they contained many of the same devotional texts.Patrons could personalize these prayer books by emphasizing certain saints, including family portraits in the margins, and embellishing the book with the family’s coat of arms. Books of Hours might even be commissioned to mark marriages and were often passed down through generations, becoming prized family heirlooms.