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Book of Hours, An Illuminated Manuscript

Other subjects remind the devout of the advantages of living a moral life. An angel rescues the soul from the devil and flies with it towards heaven. The devil cannot fly after them, thwarted by the good deeds of the soul and the protecting angel.

This illuminated manuscript, dating to 1407, is a beautiful example of a "book of hours", which typically contained prayers and meditations to be performed by laity at certain times of the day, days of the week, months, or even seasons.

Books of hours were the "best sellers" of the fifteenth century. They were so popular that their production exceeded that of all other kinds of manuscripts, including the Bible.

Written by hand and illustrated with various rich colors and gold paint, this book's owner was probably an individual of significant wealth. Although books were beginning to be mass-produced using the printing press in the mid 1400's, hand-drawn books were still widely circulated. The quality and number of illustrations increased the beauty as well as the value of the book, which also served as an indication of an individual's status and wealth in medieval society. This book also includes hand written prayers inscribed on the inside cover which indicates it may have been used by a french speaking person in the fifteenth century.

Learn More: Book of Hours, An Illuminated Manuscript (1922.09.0004)

This book of hours is written in Latin, the language of the medieval church. The word Illuminated comes from the Latin word illuminare meaning "to lighten" or "to brighten up". Hence, manuscripts decorated with gold, silver or bright paints were referred to as illuminated. Manuscript derived from the Latin word manus ("hand") and scriptus ("writing").

This book, like many of the books of hours that were religious in nature, honored the virgin Mary.

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