Something Beautiful

Appreciation Day

I'm always a little uneasy around the word 'gratitude." Gratitude is a feeling and it's axiomatic that we shouldn't be told how to feel. I'm generally more comfortable with the word "appreciation" which seems to me more an attitude, an orientation, almost an action, than gratitude.

Nonetheless, I will share for today two quotations that seem pretty worthwhile to me - even though they use the G-word.

Contemporary author Melody Beattie says: "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

Still more impressively, Lutheran minister and World War II martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer had this to say on the subject: "In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich."

". . . it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich." -- Powerful stuff!

Annunciation triptych (Campin)

Have a look at the Annunciation Triptych by Robert Campin.   Painted c. 1430, it is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.  The detail is just extraordinary, especially in the center panel.

 

Breviary of Martin d'Aragon

The Bibliotheque Nationale de France has also placed the complete Breviary of Martin d'Aragon online. I first came across many of these images long ago in the early years of the Internet age. I've been looking for the Breviary ever since, and am delighted to have rediscovered it at the Gallica site.

You could start with first image but you're probably better off heading straight for the first mosaic page. Either way, you're in for many a visual treat.

Grandes Heures: Life of Christ

Life and Death of Christ:

f. 111v - Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead / f. 112r - facing

f. 227v - The Kiss of Judas / f. 228r - facing

f. 47v - Crucifixion (death of Christ)/ f. 48r - facing

f. 2v - Lamentation at the foot of the Cross

f. 49v - Pentecost / f. 50r - facing

Grandes Heures: Childhood of Jesus

Childhood of Jesus:

f. 51v - Nativity / f. 52r - facing
f. 159v - Adoration of the Child / f. 160r - facing
f. 58v - Annunciation to the Shepherds / f. 59v - facing
f. 64v - Adoration of the Magi / f. 65r - facing

f. 70v - Presentation in the Temple (Simeon) / f. 71r - facing (beautiful!)
f. 218v - Holy Family with St. Anne / f. 219r - facing

f. 76v - Flight into Egypt / f. 77r - facing 
f. 215v - Rest on the Flight to Egypt / f. 216r - facing

f. 222v - Holy Family, with Jesus teaching/ f. 223r - facing

 

Grandes Heures: Life of Mary

Life of Mary:

f. 197v - Mary learning to read / f. 198r - facing
f. 26v - Annunciation / f. 27r
f. 36v - Visitation /  f. 37r 

Grandes Heures: Monthly calendar

Every Book of Hours seems to have a monthly calendar, i.e., a set of twelve, or twenty-four, pages devoted to the feast days of each month.  These pages often depict a labor that is typical of the month in question, and even the astrological signs for the month.  

The Grandes Heures d'Anne de Bretagne has, as one would expect, a set of sumptuous illustrations for the months of the years. On the left of each set is a page containing text and marginal decoration; on the right is a list of the month's feast days with an illustration of an activity typical of that month.  

January: f. 4r
February: f. 4v / f. 5r
March: f. 5v / f. 6r
April: f. 6v / f. 7r
May: f. 7v / f. 8r
June: f. 8v / f. 9r

July: f. 9v / f. 10r
August: f. 10v / f. 11r
September: f. 11v / f. 12r
October: f. 12v / f. 13r
November: f. 13v / f. 14r
December: f. 14v / f. 15r

 

Quaere: is the illustrator having us on with respect to the laborer on the left in the June page? It seems to me that he is!

Grandes Heures: Opening, Ending, In between

Are you as charmed by the Grandes Heures d'Anne de Bretagne as I am?  I hope so!    The Grandes Heures have the following main sections:
          (1) calendar of monthly feasts;
          (2) portraits of evangelists;
          (3) life of Christ; and
          (4) portraits of saints. 

The portraits of the evangelists were posted yesterday.  I hope to post the other three main sections soon. 

A smallish number of pages do not fit into any of the four main sections.  They are posted below. 

Opening pages:

f. 1v, Opening page: Initials of Anne de Bretagne
f. 3r, Anne de Bretagne and three saints

Old Testament figures:

f. 91v - King David / f. 92r - facing
f. 119v - Job / f. 120r - facing

Glory of God:

f. 155v - Trinity / f. 156r - facing.
f. 209v - Christ in Glory, with saints / f. 210r - facing.
f. 211v - Two angels with large chalice / f. 212r - facing.

Closing page:

f. 238r- Closing: Initials of Anne de Bretagne. 

 

Grandes Heures: Evangelists

I've fallen in love with the Grandes Heures d'Anne de Bretagne, and hope to post links to various 'sets' of miniatures in it. Here are its portraits of the four evangelists, along with the decorated pages facing each:

Evangelists:

f. 16v - St. John / f. 17r

f. 19v - St. Luke / f. 20r

f. 21v - St. Matthew / f. 22r  

f. 24v - St. Mark / f. 25r