The original owner of the Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain was Queen Isabella of Spain, who sponsored Christopher Columbus’ exploratory voyage and the discovery of America.
One of the greatest works of art in the world
The Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain is one of the most elegant and exquisite manuscripts of the Flemish Renaissance.
The codex, also known as the Book of Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, was written and illuminated at the end of the 15th century in the Flemish area between Ghent and Bruges.
It contains 558 illustrations: 40 exquisitely illuminated full-page miniatures, 10 elegantly executed half-page illustrations, 24 calendar medallions and 484 quarter-page miniatures with plant and animal motifs, such as birds, butterflies and flowers.
What is a Book of Hours?
A Book of Hours is a type of medieval and Renaissance manuscript containing Christian prayers and devotions, organised throughout the day into specific hours. These books were mainly used by lay people in the Middle Ages to help them pray at specific times of the day, such as morning, midday, afternoon and evening prayer. Their name comes from the structure of the prayers, which were divided into the ‘hours’ of the day, according to monastic tradition.
Liturgical and artistic objects
These books were often beautifully illustrated with miniatures, decorated borders and religious scenes, making them not only liturgical but also artistic objects. Books of hours were highly prized for their spiritual value and as status symbols, as they were costly and often personalised.
Over time, they became one of the most common types of medieval books and, although they were intended for personal prayer, they were also used as precious gifts.
The only replica with a notary certificate that uses bronze clasps, natural silk velvet, vegetable parchment and 3D gold leaf
Limited worldwide to 693 notary-certified fine facsimile copies
Origin: 15th century – Bruges and Ghent.
Content: Prayer book for private devotion. Manuscript on parchment.
Dimensions/extent: 23.5 × 17.3 cm – 558 pages.
Date: c. 1499 – Bruges and Ghent.
Style: Gothic, Northern Renaissance.
Language: Latin.
Artists:
Alexander Bening, Master of the First Prayer Book of Maximilian, Gerard David, Master of James IV of Scotland, Master of the Prayer Book of around 1500, Associates of Ghent.
Illustrations:
558 illuminated with gold in relief, 40 full-page miniatures, 10 half-page miniatures, 24 calendar medallions and 484 quarter-page miniatures with plant and animal elements, such as birds, butterflies or flowers. In addition, some of the folios feature themes alluding to the seasons or religious motifs.
Binding
The binding of the Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain is hand-made with crimson red natural silk velvet on wooden boards. Two bronze clasps and a central bronze oval in which an amber stone is set, bearing the coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs: Isabella, Queen of the Crown of Castile, and Ferdinand, King of the Crown of Aragon.
It is a faithful reproduction of a manuscript that belonged to the Queen, whose original binding has survived to the present day, preserved in the Library of the Royal Monastery of El Escorial.
Later binding
Unfortunately, like many medieval manuscripts, the Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain lost its original binding, which was replaced in the 19th century by a brown goatskin binding with the name of the bookbinder (Trautz-Bauzonnet) stamped on the cover.
Later owners of the Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain
- Baron Edmond de Rothschild (late 19th century to 1934).
- Baron Maurice de Rothschild 1934-1954.
- (Rosenberg & Stiebel, New York, NY), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1963.
Handmade, with notarial certification, limited and unrepeatable edition
The prayer book of Isabella the Catholic or The Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain
Universally recognised as one of the most beautiful illustrated Flemish manuscripts of the Renaissance and one of the greatest works of art in the world.
The Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain is written in Latin. As its name suggests, it was commissioned by Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain, who was a great lover of Flemish art and a devout Christian.
Important patron, Isabella the Catholic, important artists
The importance of the patron of Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain is reflected in the collaboration between some of the greatest artists of the time:
– Alexander (Sanders) Bening.
– The Master of the First Prayerbook of Maximilian, Gerard David, The Master of James IV of Scotland, and the Master of the Prayerbook from around 1500.
Gerard David illustrates the Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain
One of the greatest Flemish painters of the Bruges school, important not only for his indisputable artistic quality, but also for his innovations in the thematic field and in the organisation of the workshop.
The works of this brilliant artist are exhibited in the most prestigious museums in the world:
Museo del Prado, Louvre, Vatican Museums, Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, Metropolitan Museum in NY, National Gallery in London and others.
Museo del Prado, Louvre, Vatican Museums, Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, Metropolitan Museum in NY, National Gallery in London and others.
Flemish art: third dimension and trompe l’oeil technique
The iconographic and decorative apparatus is certainly representative of the flemish style, which included the development of the third dimension through the application of connecting lines that frame both the miniatures and the decorations of the borders.
In the Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain there are two types of border frame: the bar border that runs vertically along the text and the full border decorations painted on all four sides of the page.
The decoration around the entire border is certainly very elaborate, with flowers scattered on a background of bright colours, ranging from green (ff. 4v-5r) to red (f. 32r). The decorative elements, which include insects, birds and curled acanthus leaves, are represented using the trompe-l’oeil technique.
Signs of ownership: Isabella the Catholic
The ownership of the Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain is accredited in the miniature of the first page. This represents the Queen’s coat of arms together with her emblem and that of Ferdinand of Aragon and his motto. However, it is still not clear why and who commissioned it. The most popular suggestions have identified the codex as a wedding gift or as a gift of consolation after the death of his son, by his ambassador, Francisco de Rojas.
This magnificent illuminated manuscript is one of the most valuable pieces in the extensive and important collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. One of the great treasures of the museum’s extensive medieval collection, one of the most important in the world. Acquired in 1963 after having been part of the collection of Baron Edmond de Rothschild in Paris. Today it is considered one of the most representative examples of the Ghent-Bruges manuscript illumination school.
Why buy the fine facsimile Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain from Patrimonio Ediciones?
- It is the only complete fine facsimile edition of exquisite and unrivalled quality. Notarised and reproduced at actual size. It uses vegetable parchment, bronze clasps and natural silk velvet in its binding. It uses 3D gold leaf in all 558 illustrations, historiated initials and borders.
- It is also the only one that reproduces its binding faithfully, made by hand. Made of crimson red natural silk velvet on a wooden board. With 2 bronze clasps and a central bronze oval on which an amber is mounted bearing the coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs. It is a faithful replica of exquisite quality that reproduces a manuscript that belonged to the Queen, whose original binding has survived to the present day. It is preserved in the Royal Library of the Monastery of El Escorial.
- The Book of Hours of Isabella the Catholic in the Cleveland Museum of Art is ‘universally recognised as one of the most beautiful illustrated Flemish manuscripts of the Renaissance and one of the greatest works of art in the world’. It is the work of brilliant artists, panel painters and miniaturists: Alexander Bening, Master of the First Prayer Book of Maximilian, Gerard David, Master of James IV of Scotland; Master of the Prayer Book of around 1500.
How to buy the fine facsimile Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain from Patrimonio Ediciones?
Buying the fine facsimile Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain is easy. All you have to do is contact our experts. They will advise you on all its content and characteristics and will help you through the purchase process.
