Something Beautiful

Illuminated Women (Getty)

The Getty Museum is having an exhibition about women in illuminated manuscripts.   Wish we could all go!   In the absence of that ability, I'll post some links here.  :-)  

• Mary Magdalene, in the Spinola Hours (c. 1520)  
• St. Anne teaching Mary to read, from a Book of Hours (c. 1430)
• Denise Poncher before an image of Death, from the Poncher Hours, c. 1500

 

Book of Hours (BNF)

Yet another lovely Book of Hours at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, beautifully displayed at the Gallica site. Here is Jesus teaching the elders in the temple. One does not often see one of these in a Book of Hours.

Book of Hours (Royal Library, Netherlands)

I discovered this Book of Hours a long time ago, during my earliest years on the Internet.  It belongs to the Royal Library of the Netherlands.  It might not look all that special but I've always loved this illustration of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. 

Nativity

Tonight I was looking for the word 'bagpipe' at Google Art, and came across this Nativity in an illuminated manuscript by Don Silvestro dei Gherarducci, c. 1395.  Take a close look - it's pretty special.   

Days later:  The Metropolitan Museum of Art has another leaf by the same artist. 

 

King David at Prayer

I love depictions of King David in medieval psalters.   He is shown at prayer in the Book of Hours illuminated by the Master of Guillebert de Mets, c. 1450

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Spinola Hours

You can see 36 sides from the Spinola Hours, c. 1510, illustrated by the Master of James IV of Scotland at the Google Art site. 

Saint Barbara with a Tower

A gorgeous page, showing St. Barbara with a tower, by the Workshop of the Master of the First Prayerbook of Maximilian, c. 1510.  

Willem Vrelant

Google Art has 90 illuminations by Willem Vrelant.  Viewed as a whole, on a single screen, they are truly handsome and lovely. 

St. Andrew's Psalter

Here's a page, including a short video, on the very fine St. Andrew's Psalter.   Another five leaves from this psalter can be seen on another page of the website. 

Les Belle Heures (Limbourg brothers)

The Belles Heures of the Duc de Berry was written and illuminated c. 1410.  I've posted here before about the Metropolitan Museum's exhibition not too many years ago.  

 

This page displays thumbnails of all of the pages at the Metropolitan Museum's special exhibition site.   It doesn't include every leaf of the original but is still a sumptuous selection.  

 

As it happens, I have inexpensive prints of the Annunciation and the St. Michael the Archangel pages, culled from a calendar printed in connection with the exhibition.  They've been sitting around waiting to be framed for several years.   Yesterday I finally took them to the local artist's shop to have proper mats cut.   That's what brought them to mind this morning and gave rise to this post.   Happy end-of-summer to all!