Personalizing Prayer: the Keble-Petre Hours and the Armagnac Breviary
Armagnac Breviary
Armagnac Breviary (one of two volumes). Late 14th century. Present-day France. Parchment, ink, paint, gold. Height of each leaf: 8 in (20.5 cm); width of each leaf: 5.4 in (13.6 cm). Wyvern Collection, 0910; ff. 158v/159r
Breviaries were used by medieval Christian monks and nuns as they prayed throughout the day, and in the later Middle Ages, lay persons sometimes used this type of book for their own private prayer rituals. Before printing technology arrived in Europe, all books were “manuscripts” – hand copied books – and each of these was one of a kind, with a combination of texts, ornament, and, if the buyer could afford it, pictures, catering to the needs of the owner. The Armagnac Breviary, like so many medieval books, is a unique object, bearing witness to the concerns and desires of its first owners as well as those that have owned it since.
- History and personalization of the Manuscript
- Function and Reunification
- The Creation of the Armagnac Breviary and Artistic Details of the Armagnac Breviary
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