A Book of Hours
use of Paris, in Latin and French
c. 1420 - 1430
probably South-eastern France
202 x 150 mm (folio); illuminated manuscript on vellum, 151 folios, 15 large paintings
This beautifully illuminated Book of Hours was made for the private use of a woman, as testified by its inclusion of prayers that take the feminine form. Although we do not know who the patron and/or recipient was, a coat of arms which once decorated the verso of folio 72 may have revealed her identity. This, however, has been erased by a subsequent owner and only an imprint remains.
Written for the use of a woman, as indicated by prayers use feminine forms; there is a thoroughly erased coat of arms in the lower margin facing the start of Compline in the Hours of the Virgin (fol.72v); sold by Koller, Zurich, 30 October 1980, no.7020, with their (?) typescript description in German loosely inserted; by descent until 2015.
