Book of Hours

c. 1524

De Beer Fc 1524 Ca

France: Hardouyn

Almost every good house in France owned a Book of Hours, a necessary devotional work. Manuscript copies were expensive, yet with the advent of the printing press, these works made the easy transition, ultimately becoming a little less expensive and available to more readers; almost 800 separate editions were printed in Europe before 1530. All the necessary accoutrements of the medieval manuscript – miniatures, capitals, and border decorations – were printed with moveable type and metal plates, and in this single sheet example – printed on vellum (calf skin). The rubrication (the red and blue ink) was added by hand. This exquisite work was executed by Germain or Gillet Hardouyn, medieval manuscript ‘illuminators’ as well as printers based in Paris in the early 16th century.