Book of Hours
Book of Hours
Place of OriginNorthern Italy, possibly Milan
Dateabout 1513-1521
Dimensionspages: 5 7/16 x 3 3/4 in. (13.8 x 9.5 cm)
book: 5 3/4 x 4 x 1 15/16 in.
book: 5 3/4 x 4 x 1 15/16 in.
Mediumink and gold on vellum
ClassificationManuscripts
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number
1957.23
Not on View
DescriptionLeft: Miniature painting of Christ carrying the Cross, with his mother Mary and St. Simeon, Right: Initial "P" with St. Mary Magdalene adoring the Cross. 246 pages.
Label TextThis manuscript contains the liturgy for the Office of Matins on Christmas morning (preceded by a miniature of the raising of Lazarus with a skeleton on the facing page); Penetential Psalms (preceded by a miniature of a praying saint); The Canticle of Isias the prophet (preceded by a miniature of the Presentation of Christ on the steps of the Temple); Liturgy for the Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross, beginning with a Communion Mass (preceded by a miniature of Christ bearing the Cross); and a hymn for the Office of the Holy Cross (preceded by a miniature of the Crucifixion). The chief interest of this manuscript, from a historical point of view, is that it was made for Pope Leo X (born Giovanni de' Medici, 1475-1521), who was elected to the papacy in 1513. (Note Pope Leo's name (right) and the Medici coat-of-arms (left) at the bottom of each page.) it is interesting to speculate why this handsome illuminated manuscript would have commissioned when the art and technique of printing was beginning to flourish in Italy. During his papacy, Leo X extravagantly promoted literature, science, and art. He sought to increase the treasures of the Vatican Library, while also supporting the completion of Raphael's decoration of the Vatican (Stanze) halls. However , he was so lavish with his patronage and expenditures, that by the spring of 1515, the papal treasury was entirely dissipated. Yet while he was pursuing the course of a grand patron of culture, Leo X also had to turn his attention to various troubling political and religious events happening at this time. France repeatedly endeavored to gain control of Milan; Emperor Maximilian in Germany challenged Italian rule over selected states and papal authority outside Italy; there was turmoil in the Duchy of Urbino; and in 1517 Martin Luther triggered the reformation that was to challenge and completely upset the absolute authority of the Catholic Church. This tiny volume gives no hint of the historical events or circumstances which were the backdrop to its creation. Religious ritual is above temporal concerns. It was intended for the private use of Pope Leo in the performance of his religious duties Although other manuscript (or printed) copies of these offices undoubtedly existed, this unique copy was intended as his own personal copy. A lavishly decorated manuscript like this one, requiring much aesthetic work on each page, would have been more costly to produce, and thus more in keeping with the most exalted position in the church hierarchy. We may still wonder exactly when, where, and why this volume was created, and how it survived. but here it is as a vestige of Leo X's papal tenure.Published ReferencesConstant, John, "A Book of Hours for Pope Leo X," in Music from the Middle Ages through the Twentieth Century: Essays in Honor of Gwynn S. McPeek, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1988, p. 314.
Putney, Richard H., Medieval Art, Medieval People: The Cloister Gallery of the Toledo Museum of Art, The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, 2002, p. 57, repr. (col.) fig. 49.
Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 122, repr. (col.).
Babbitt, Geoffrey, appendices pulled from a study on light, New York City, Spuyten Duyvil, 2018, p. 17, repr. (col.) pp. 17, 59.
Exhibition HistoryToledo, Toledo Museum of Art, The Art of the Bible, The Bible as Art, Hitchcock Gallery, Nov, 2001-Jan. 2002, p. 4, repr. (col.).Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, Out of Sight, June 18-Aug. 29, 2010 (no cat.).
about 1500
about 1445
about 1450-1460
15th Century
15th century
about 1500
mid 15th century
early 16th century
Membership
Become a TMA member today
Support TMA
Help support the TMA mission