Artworks

This jewel-like small-formatted Book of Hours is an exquisite example of Flemish book art around 1500, featuring 13 fully illuminated pages and 15 complete borders. Constituting one of the most enchanting features of the manuscript, the splendid borders are alive with naturalistic flowers as well as recognisable birds and insects whose soft shadows achieve an enticing trompe-l’œil effect. Its preciously small format makes handling this Book of Hours a very intimate and delightful experience, with each illuminated page coming alive before the viewer’s eyes.

This enjoyable Book of Hours was likely made for export to Italy or was intended for Italian clients who temporarily lived in Flanders as bankers or traders. With its vibrant colour palette, smooth vellum as well as a more rounded Italianate script, it would have been well-suited to contemporary Italian tastes. 

The 13 miniatures adorning this manuscript were created by the Prayerbook Master of c. 1500. The illuminations show firmly characterised figures, with lively gestures and convincing facial expressions. The Master’s colouring is luminous and rich in contrast and perfectly blends in with the intricate and masterly painted border decoration created by another artist. 

The manuscript offers an enticing array of different border types, which invite the reader to pause and enjoy the various details. The artist alternates architectural borders with typical trompe-l’œil borders full of flora and fauna, and sometimes merges the two border types to create alcoves filled with blooms. He also uses sweeping landscape views which together with the main miniature create multi-layered landscapes.

The Crawford Book of Hours is a splendid example of Flemish book art of around 1500 with its breath-taking vibrancy and delicate border decoration.

You can read more about this book in our brochure, The Art of Medieval Books, here.