THE FOLIO SOCIETY

A magnificently illustrated medieval treasure in which every page is a masterpiece

The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge holds one of the largest and finest collections of Books of Hours in the world, with over 250 examples dating from the 13th to the 16th centuries. Amongst so many treasures, MS 1058-1975 stands out. This extraordinary book is made unique by the abundance and richness of its art and the near-flawless preservation of its pages.

Read on for more details, or click below to see and hear a commentary on the manuscript and The Folio Society facsimile by Stella Panayotova, Keeper of Manuscripts at the Fitzwilliam. You will need flash to view, download Flash player here

click here to view Part 2

63 full-page miniatures
Over 350 delightful decorative borders

The combination of an extraordinary wealth of full-page miniatures, exquisite borders adorning every single page of text and the almost perfect condition of the manuscript make this Book of Hours unique. Created in around 1510 in Bruges, the time and place where the Flemish art of illumination was at its apogee, every page is a visual feast. Miniature follows miniature, while the profusion of floral borders delights the eye, each one a wonderfully observed masterpiece of naturalism. Beautifully preserved, this volume is one of the very finest extant Books of Hours.

The best-loved devotional works of the medieval world

Religious life in the Middle Ages was divided into eight hours of prayer: Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline. Laypeople followed a reduced form of the full religious day for their own personal devotion – the result was the Book of Hours. More of these have survived than any other form of illuminated manuscript, testament to their popularity and the esteem in which they were held. The wealthier the patron, the more personalised the collection of texts in the Book of Hours and the more rich and elaborate the decoration. By the late 15th century, Flemish illuminators had emerged as the most highly regarded, innovative and fashionable in Europe. The Fitzwilliam Book of Hours is a perfect example of their finest work.

A mastery of illumination

The Fitzwilliam Book of Hours represents the pinnacle of manuscript production. Although printed books were beginning to circulate, illuminated manuscripts were still chosen by their noble patrons as symbols of piety with which to display their taste and status. Their popularity led to ever more splendid and flamboyant schemes of illumination. By the early 1500s, traditional elements of Books of Hours (the calendar, scenes from the Passion and favourite saints) became richer than ever before; trompe l’oeil effects provided a feast for the eye; and realistic portraiture, landscape and architecture emerged as new preoccupations in fresco and panel painting. The Fitzwilliam Book of Hours is a bravura display of the best of these advances, representing the very finest work from the world’s centre of manuscript illumination.

Four master artists collaborated on this Book of Hours. The lead artist who organised the ambitious structure and scheme is characterised by his playful flourishes and exuberant architectural details. The other masters who contributed were some of the most sought-after of the day: the Master of the Dresden Prayer Book, the Master of James IV of Scotland (renowned for his exceptional achievement as a realistic portraitist) and the Master of St Michael. Four such illustrious artists collaborating on one book is certainly an indication of the status of its likely commissioner.

Uncovering the manuscript’s history – a superbly detailed commentary

Stella Panayotova, Keeper of Manuscripts at the Fitzwilliam Museum, has undertaken a detailed investigation into the origins of the manuscript, and her findings are presented in a fascinating commentary. Several clues in the manuscript suggest three avenues of investigation: a connection to Besançon in France, a special interest in the emblems of the Burgundian-Hapsburg royalty, and a strong personal devotion to St Anthony. There is even an unusual portrait of a high-ranking ecclesiastic in one miniature – could this be the very man who commissioned the work, immortalised in his own precious book of devotion? It is an absorbing detective story, using numerous tests to examine clues within the fabric of the book as well as more traditional scholarship.

Exquisite floral borders

The lovely vertical borders which frame the text pages are an unforgettable highlight of The Fitzwilliam Book of Hours. Masterpieces of trompe l’oeil, the painted shadows make it seem as if the insects, flowers and berries are literally scattered over the page. Beautifully observed, the borders are delicate and natural, but infinitely varied. Wild carnations, roses and daisies share space with wild strawberries, butterflies, snails and birds. The artists’ naturalism remains rooted in piety: the border surrounding the miniature of the Trinity features three-coloured violas and bright-red pinks whose jagged petals symbolise the nails driven into Christ’s body while irises, combining the blue of the heavenly kingdom and the purple of regal glory, dominate the border around the image of St Anne and the Virgin adoring the Christ Child.

Pages of script as inviting as full-page miniatures

This is a book in which attention to detail is unsurpassed: the script (written in the iron-gall ink cherished by medieval scribes for its bold effect) has been created in a particularly beautiful cursive – the lettre bourguignonne beloved of the Burgundian dukes. There are flourishes and hairline arabesques, while at times the letters seem to vanish behind tiny tears in the parchment and then to reappear – the textual equivalent of the playful illuminations. Even the commonest decorated initials (several to every page) are masterpieces in miniature with delicately shaded curlicues in white, gold and red on a shell-gold background, while line spaces are filled with equally exquisite decorated bars.

Limited to 1,180 numbered copies. Bound by hand in response to orders, numbers will be allocated on a strictly first-come, first-served basis. Demand is expected to be high – order soon to reserve your copy. Delivery will commence in November 2009.

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Uniting the talents of today’s finest craftsmen

Since the binding on the original manuscript, kept in the Fitzwilliam Museum, is a Victorian interpretation, a sumptuous new binding has been created for this Folio Society facsimile, using a pineapple design present in several illuminations (see, for example, the miniature of St Barbara). The gorgeous fabric is a silk-woven jacquard embellished with gold weft, specially commissioned from Stephen Walters and Sons, a mill originally founded by a Huguenot silk-weaver in the 1720s.

The manuscript was photographed by Andrew Morris, widely recognised as one of the leading manuscript photographers in the uk, who captured the incredibly detailed, fine filigree gold lines. Printed by Beacon Press (who won the Fine Art Printer of the Year Award for their work on our limited edition of The Temple of Flora) this is a showpiece of the quality possible with new technological advances. The paper has been specially selected for its similarity to vellum, and the rich colours of the gold, the deep blue and the pastel shades of the flowers glow on the page.

Before binding, the edges of the book are stained deep blue and then gilded, to give them a subtle patina. The books are then hand-bound by Smith Settle, who have been entrusted with some of the finest binding work for the Society over the last few years.

The artist at the manuscript’s heart

The guiding light of The Fitzwilliam Book of Hours was an artist named the ‘painter of Additional 15677’. An innovative artist himself, he painted the majority of the borders and miniatures, excelling in trompe l’oeil effects, whether of architecture or of flowers, birds and insects. More impressive even than his technical artistry was his vision, which allowed him so successfully to combine the talents of other famous artists, plus at least two assistants, into one perfectly constructed whole.

St Barbara is shown before the tower in which she was locked by her father, to prevent her from embracing the Christian faith. Barbara wrote to the theologian Origen, and he despatched his disciple Valentine, who entered the two-windowed tower disguised as a doctor. To honour the Trinity, Barbara had a third window constructed in her tower. Her conversion to Christianity ultimately cost her her life. The design of our silk binding was taken from the motif on the rich brocade against which St Barbara sits - see illustration 5.

The fruits of a remarkable collaboration

Four artists contributed miniatures to this beautiful Book of Hours under the direction of one talented and visionary painter. Two of them have been identified by historians as ‘Masters’ of particularly fine Books of Hours – the Dresden Prayer Book and the Prayer Book of James IV of Scotland; a third as ‘Master’ of St Michael, named for one of the exquisite miniatures he created for this book, while the lead artist is known as ‘the painter of Additional 15677’, after a Book of Hours in the British Library. The collaboration of leading artists within the same manuscript was characteristic of deluxe Flemish Books of Hours, and The Fitzwilliam Book of Hours is a perfect example of this practice. The full-page illuminations highlight this wealth of artistry, whilst Stella Panayotova’s commentary sheds light on the symbolism and context of each illumination.

The Master of the Dresden Prayer Book was a remarkable storyteller who constructed pictorial narratives rich in detail and pulsating with energy. This image conveys the breathless pace of the incidents unfolding, and the raised angle of view is used to truly dramatic effect. In the central miniature, the disciples sleep peacefully in the garden, unaware of Christ’s Agony. To the left of the miniature Christ is shown waking the disciples before he reveals his identity to the soldiers beneath. A sense of tragedy looms over the action-packed sequence.

Unusual double calendar pages

The double calendar pages were the work of the lead Fitzwilliam artist and are an unusual feature of Books of Hours. They show not only the farming year, but also the pleasures and pastimes of the nobility. Cancer presides over peasants mowing the hay, while a group of aristocrats takes a boating trip. Square-edged lapels and vertical armhole slits revealing doublet sleeves are all typical fashions of the early 1500s. A woman is accompanying a musician, singing from sheet music – the first copies of which appeared around 1500. Such topicality lent a cachet to Books of Hours, and this artist excelled in such telling details.

The Master of James IV of Scotland was responsible for the small miniature which shows St Luke painting the Virgin and Child. According to medieval tradition St Luke was a gifted artist for whom the Virgin sat for a life portrait. In the border showing the Tree of Jesse, the kings’ rounded eye sockets, long noses, full lips, fluffy hair and beards show some affinity with the work of the Master of James IV, though the illuminator responsible remains the most enigmatic personality in The Fitzwilliam Book of Hours.