03 — ARTWORK
Flower Book of Hours
- MEDIUM
- Manuscript (Clm 23637), 165 x 112 mm
- TYPE
- Religious
PALETTE
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- FILE
- 900 × 1281 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
The Flowers Book of HoursA prayer book used by laymen for private devotion, containing prayers or meditations appropriate to certain hours of the day, days of the week, months, or seasons. They became so popular in the 15th century that the Book of Hours outnumbers all other categories of illuminated manuscripts; from the late 15th century there were also printed versions illustrated by woodcuts. The most famous Book of Hours and one of the most beautiful of all illuminated manuscripts is the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry (Musée Condé, Chantilly), illuminated by the Limburg Brothers for Jean de Berry. by Simon Bening ranks among the most beautiful works of book illuminationThe decoration of manuscripts, one of the most common forms of medieval art; because of its monastic origins, usually of religious texts. The practice extends from heavy decorations of initial letters and inter-woven margin patterns (as in Celtic examples) to miniatures and and full-page illuminations, often of a formal and grandiose kind (as in Byzantine manuscripts). Rich colors are a common feature, in particular a luxirious use of gold and silver. Illuminations survived the advent of printing for some time and only died out with the rise of printed illustration in the 16 century. in general. It is an impressive example of Flemish book illumination which in the 16th century was clearly at its height. The manuscriptcollective term for books or other documents written by hand; in a specific sense, the hand-written medieval book, the Codex manuscriptus, often ornamented with decorative borders, illuminated initials and miniatures, and containing works of ancient philosophy or scholarly, ecclesiastical, and literary texts. Manuscripts were usually produced on commission. At first the scriptoria (writing rooms) of monasteries transcribed the contents of famous manuscripts and made copies. Monastic communities in the Netherlands and northern Germany began producing manuscripts around 1383/84. Flanders, Burgundy, and in particular Paris became major centres for the mass production of breviaries (prayer books) and Books of Hours. bears its name because the text pages are decorated with innumerable flowers and beasts of unprecedented variety and colourfulness.
Among all Book of Hours, this masterpieceA term now loosely applied to the finest work by a particular artist or to any work of art of acknowledged greatness or of preeminence in its field. Originally it meant the piece of work by which a craftsman, having finished his training, gained the rank of'master' in his guild. is distinguished by two special features: first by the loosely arranged decoration framing the text on each page with flowers and birds; second, by countless variations of page layout within one and the same manuscript. In terms of decoration and layout, this work clearly is the unsurpassed highlight of book art at this time.
The miniatureTerm originally applied to the art of manuscript illumination but later used of paintings, usually portraits, executed on a very small scale. The earliest miniaturists (16th century) continued to use the materials of the illuminators, painting in gouache on vellum or card. on folio 93v shows the Adoration of the Magi.
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-r9ed33cd3d34ff4,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {Flower Book of Hours by BENING, Simon},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-09},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bening-simon-rfdebb54c398ad8/flower-book-of-hours-r9ed33cd3d34ff4},
urldate = {2026-09-09},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-09. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.
