The Book of Hours of Mary of Burgundy is among the most celebrated illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages. Written by one of the favourite scribes of the Burgundian Court, its pages contain the key works of the Master of Mary of Burgundy, the most famous Flemish illuminator of the 15th century. The complete manuscript is here reproduced in full colour.

"The happiest, sweetest, and liveliest little book imaginable."--John Canaday.

In January 1469, the accounts of Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy (reigned 1467-77) record a payment to the noted scribe Nicolas Spierinc 'for having written ... some prayers for my lord.' Seven months later, the same accounts record a payment to the illuminator Lievin van Lathern for twenty-five miniatures plus borders and decorated initials in the same manuscript. In this study, the late Antoine de Schryver - an internationally renowned art historian - presents a thoroughly researched and balanced argument suggesting that the documents refer to the exquisite prayer book of Charles the Bold which can now be found in the collection of the J. Getty Museum. --book jacket.

An overlooked aspect of the iconography of the Annunciation investigated - Mary's book.

The Book of Hours were derived from the official service-books of the Church, but they were produced as the personal prayerbooks of the laity. Combining sacred and secular elements in a manner found in no other type of illuminated manuscript, Books of Hours have an especial significance in the history of religious sentiment and in the development of painting.

The medieval Book of Hours was a richly decorated manual of private devotion comprised of a calendar of saints' days and eight short services in honor of the Virgin Mary. The Hastings Hours is one of the finest of these to have survived. Intimate in scale and richly decorated with miniatures from the life of Christ and of the saints, it was made in the Netherlands by expert craftsmen during the last quarter of the fifteenth century.In this beautifully illustrated introduction to the manuscript, twenty-five of the surviving thirty-two large miniatures are reproduced--close to their actual size--along with many decorative borders and details. An essay by Janet Backhouse explores this outstanding achievement of Renaissance Flemish illumination.

PT 3: Catholic books in a Protestant world.

In the course of the fifteenth century, the reputation of the Burgundian court rose to an unprecedented level, catapulted forward by ever growing territorial ambitions and accumulation of wealth. This reached a climax during the reign of Charles the Bold (1433-1477), the living embodiment of the pomp and pageantry of the Burgundian court and a generous patron of the fine arts. Rather than focusing on a single domain, this volume aims to shed light on Burgundian court culture as an organic whole, between the start of the reign of Philip the Good (1419) and the death of Mary of Burgundy (1482). It is intended to provide a forum for new research from the fields of History, History of Art, Literature and Musicology. With contributions (among others) from Wim Blockmans, Herman Brinkman, Barbara Haggh, Andrea Berlin, James Bloom, Till-Holger Borchert, Andrew Brown, Hendrik Callewier, Anna Campbell, Mario Damen, Sonja Duennebeil, Jonas Goossenaerts, Bieke Hillewaert, Andrew Hamilton, Eva Helfenstein, Jesse Hurlbut, Sophie Jolivet, Sascha Kohl, Sherry Lindquist, Jana Lucas, Samuel Mareel, Elizabeth J. Moodey, Klaus Oschema, Kathryn Rudy, Emily Snow, Olga Vassilieva-Codognet, Hanno Wijsman.

Many of the great scenes from the Old Testament and many more from the New Testament are included, along with the Stations of the Cross and portraits of the saints.".

Death and Dying in the Middle Ages examines medical facts and communal arrangements, as well as religious and popular beliefs and rituals concerning the end of life in Western societies. It studies literary and artistic imaging and the underlying philosophical and theological convictions that shaped medieval attitudes toward death. A collection of eighteen articles by contributors in the Western hemisphere, this new compendium on death and its implications will interest the specialist, the student and teacher of cultural history, religion, folklore, psychology, literature, and art, and also the general public.