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Historical Milieu
History of the Codex

his Book of Hours contains an Augustinian-style calendar that actually indicates the date in which the manuscript was made:1490. Included in the book are the Hours of the Virgin, the penitential psalms, the litany, the Office of the Dead, the stations of the cross, the hours of the Holy Spirit and the Trinity, prayers, readings from the Evangelists, and the Seven Petitions to the Saviour. The reference to Saint Louis, the autograph of Louis of Orleans, later King Luis XII, and the portrait on f.11v., seem to indicate that the manuscript belonged to Louis XII for some time though he was not the original patron. Also, the portrait on f.11v. does not depict Louis XII's physiognomy. Most likely, the person represented in the portrait corresponds to the person whose familial emblem, a burning tree with the motto "A prier me lie," is painted in the beginning of the book. Based on the type of decorative marginalia employed in the book, which also appears in the missal of Jean de Foix, Bishop of Comminges (Bibliothèque nationale of France, Paris, Lat. 16827,) this person was probably from Toulousse. No one knows why the manuscript was finished in Bourges, near the workshop of Jean Colombe.

Illuminations/Iconography

The illuminations in this tiny manuscript are quite exceptional. The elaborate illustrative layout with sumptuous floral margins, especially in the series of biblical themes, is a trait rarely found in most Books of Hours. The marginalia are often divided into sections with grotesques, birds, animals and other motifs. Durrieu and Laborde relate the illumination in this manuscript to that of several artists including Jean Bourdichon, Jean Colombe and the cities of Besançon and Montluçon. According to Sterligov, this Book of Hours was made in the workshop of Jean Colombe, a hypothesis that Schaefer supports and has even extended to suggest that Colombe's son, Philibert, as well as Jacqueline Raoul of Montluçon and the artist commonly called Coularti, took part in the work.

The manuscript belonged to Louis XII, after which its trajectory is unknown until the XVII century when it became part of Pierre Séguier's collection (confirmed by the signature d953 in the manuscript.) Later the book was transferred to Saint-Germain-des-Prés, along with the rest of the Séguier collection. Finally, it was purchased by Piotr Dubrowsky and passed on to the National Library of Russia in 1805.

Binding

XVIII Century binding. Dark lilac-coloured velvet.

Commentary Volume

The commentary volume will include essays written by experts in Medieval History and Art History. It will be written in Spanish and English.

• National Library of Russia, Saint Petersburg, Lat. Q.v.I. 126
• Year: 1490
• Format: 225 x 155 mm.
• Pages: 224
• Illuminations: 90
• Anticipated Publication Date: December, 2001