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he Sforza Hours , a highlight of the Renaissance, was commissioned by Bona Sforza in about 1490. Most of the manuscript was illuminated by the Italian illustrator Giovan Pietro Birago, and completed by the Flemish illuminator, Gerard Horenbout, in the 16th century. The Sforza hours is one of the six most valuable works in the British Library collection, which is one of the world’s richest and most comprehensive. The manuscript contains a total of 696 pages, divided into four volumes, and is kept under the shelfmark Add. MS 34294.

The "First Book" is a self contained work of art with a series of hours known as "The Sign of the Holy Spirit". The 80 pages of the manuscript, 45 of which are richly decorated with miniatures, are reproduced in their original size of 93 x 131 mm. The volumes have chased silver plated clasps and are accompanied by a commentary containing a general introduction and a detailed description of each page of illustrations. The Facsimile is limited to 980 copies world-wide, of these 95 have been reserved for an exclusive luxury edition of the entire work (four volumes). This special edition includes a superb presentation case in 925 sterling silver, decorated with 30 precious stones.

A documentation kit containing 3 sample pages, in the original size, from the Sforza Hours Fine Art Facsimile Volume, plus an illustrated, 18 page information brochure, is available for $US48.