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he Brussels Hours (sig.ms 11060-61) had a decisive influence upon the development of book illumination in France.

It is believed that the codex was brought into existence during the last decade of the 14th century, although it was not completed. The Brussels Hours embodies the Office of Mary, the Penitential Psalms, the Litany, the Hours of the Holy Cross, and the Office for the Dead; but not, the Calendar, the Pericopes from the Gospels, and the Prayers of the Virgin.

The illustrated manuscript was commissioned by the Duke of Berry who, in the form of a donor’s figure, is pictured twice in the manuscript. In 1402, the manuscript was made a princely present to the Duke’s brother, Philip the Bold of Burgundy. Over a few centuries, there had been no safe knowledge of the whereabouts of the manuscript. It was in 1840 that the manuscript was discovered as part of the collection of J. Marechal. Today, it is kept in the Brussels Bibliotèque Royale Albert 1er.

The question as to who the masters were who created The Brussels Hours has at times given rise to lively discussions. The actual state of knowledge suggests that three miniaturists were involved in the creating of the manuscript:

• André Beauneveu, well known for his majestic gravestone statues in the Paris St. Denis Cathedral, created the grisaille double page.
• Jacquemart de Hesdin is believed to have illuminated the remaining miniature pages.
• Finally, the Master of the Brussels Initials is believed to have created the 17 most beautiful illuminated letters.

The connoisseur of fine arts will enjoy, on 276 pages, 20 full page miniatures and 17 magnificent pages with illuminated letters, partly with ornamental borders.

The Brussels Hours represents a thrilling novelty in the history of book illumination: the rectangles, with each having a large size miniature arranged within it, are very much like windows cut out by the artist from the parchment, as if he intended to open a special view from the inside out.

A scientific commentary volume (in German or French), containing the discourses of highly distinguished experts on the ducal patronage, the mysterious history, the ornamentation, and the texts of the manuscript, completes the edition which is limited to 980 copies world-wide.

A documentation kit containing 2 sample pages, in the original size (27.5 x 18.5 cm), from the Brussels Hours Fine Art Facsimile Volume, plus an illustrated, 12 page information brochure, is available for $US75.