What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hours of Catherine of Cleves
When this magnificent volume first appeared in 1966, it was celebrated for its extraordinary beauty. Now, it is available once again. Illustrating one of the great art treasures of the world, The Hours of Catherine of Cleves is a fifteenth-century illuminated manuscript containing a series of some of the most beautiful illustrations of the Bible ever made. Many of the great scenes from the Old Testament and many more from the New Testament are included, besides the Stations of the Cross and portraits of the saints.
The work of an unidentified Dutch master painter, the manuscript was made for Catherine of Cleves on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of Guelders. All the 157 surviving miniatures are reproduced to actual size and in exquisite color with gold, together with three samples of pages containing the Latin prayers. Page after page reveals the elaborate program and rich illumination of the original. The progression from beginning to end shows an artist increasing in skill, relying in his earlier work on tradition and later emerging as an independent artist of bold, clear colors, dynamic brushwork, and lively imagination. He stands as one of the supreme painters of fifteenth-century Northern Europe.
Each page is accompanied by a descriptive and explanatory commentary by John Plummer. His introduction discusses the development of the Book of Hours as a liturgical form in general, and the history of the Cleves Hours specifically, and describes the place it holds in the history of Northern painting. 160 color illustrations with gold embellishment
The work of an unidentified Dutch master painter, the manuscript was made for Catherine of Cleves on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of Guelders. All the 157 surviving miniatures are reproduced to actual size and in exquisite color with gold, together with three samples of pages containing the Latin prayers. Page after page reveals the elaborate program and rich illumination of the original. The progression from beginning to end shows an artist increasing in skill, relying in his earlier work on tradition and later emerging as an independent artist of bold, clear colors, dynamic brushwork, and lively imagination. He stands as one of the supreme painters of fifteenth-century Northern Europe.
Each page is accompanied by a descriptive and explanatory commentary by John Plummer. His introduction discusses the development of the Book of Hours as a liturgical form in general, and the history of the Cleves Hours specifically, and describes the place it holds in the history of Northern painting. 160 color illustrations with gold embellishment
360 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1966
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 6, 2021
Se algum dia vocês acharem que é uma boa ideia fazer aula de manuscritos medievais REPENSEM!
Mas o livro de Horas da Catherine de Cleves é bem lindo e essa edição comentada pelo Plummer é ótima.
Mas o livro de Horas da Catherine de Cleves é bem lindo e essa edição comentada pelo Plummer é ótima.
March 3, 2017
Have only read parts of the commentary, but I bought it for the reproduction of the manuscript pages anyway and I'm so glad I did. The calligraphy and illustrations are wonderful! I'm so happy to have made it the first of my collection of illuminated manuscript reproductions.
September 9, 2014
I wasn't sure whether to give 5 or 4 stars. The descriptions of the plates were really nice, but every so often I would think "how do you know what that means?" and then other times he wouldn't comment on something in the plate. I did like how he combined and ordered the plates so that we would know where the plate originally went.
October 22, 2009
Useful for studying the look of book of hours and illumination in manuscripts.
Excellent intro text to the history of this particular book of hours. I also really appreciated seeing the full pages as they would be organized in the book. The images make me want to see the original.
Excellent intro text to the history of this particular book of hours. I also really appreciated seeing the full pages as they would be organized in the book. The images make me want to see the original.
October 27, 2009
I pestered my mother for this book from the time she received it as a Christmas gift from her stepmother . . . sometime in the early 70's. Finally, in a downsizing move she gave it to me. It is mine, mine, mine now. This little boxed book is a treasure.
January 28, 2014
Such a beautiful book. The time it took to create these pages..amazing
October 10, 2014
Happened to find this box set in a thrift store. I had originally planned on giving it to my sister but I'm not so sure anymore.
February 21, 2015
Very clear full color plates. Immensely helpful for recreating medieval calligraphy and illumination.
March 31, 2017
I love the gorgeous illustrations from the illuminated manuscripts and also the commentary on the symbolism in each image. This is a great work of literature and also of religious history. I'm so glad I finally read through the copy I own.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews