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The Black Hours of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, M 1856 is an illuminated book of hours, now in the
. facsimilefinder.com. Retrieved 24 November 2017 According to the historian Antoine de Schryver, this manuscript was commissioned by
File:Sforza Black hours - ÖNB Cod1856 f27v - Mass.jpg, Folio 27v: Celebration of Mass
File:Sforza Black hours - ÖNB Cod1856 f38.jpg, Folio 38
File:Sforza Black hours - ÖNB Cod1856 f61.jpg, Folio 61
MS description
by the Center for Håndskriftstudier i Danmark 15th-century illuminated manuscripts Black books of hours Illuminated books of hours Manuscripts of the Austrian National Library
The Black Hours of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, M 1856 is an illuminated book of hours, now in the Austrian National Library
The Austrian National Library (german: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in center of V ...
in Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
(Codex Vindobon. 1856). The book used to be the property of Galeazzo Maria Sforza
Galeazzo Maria Sforza (24 January 1444 – 26 December 1476) was the fifth Duke of Milan from 1466 until his assassination a decade later. He was notorious for being lustful, cruel, and tyrannical.
He was born to Francesco Sforza, a popul ...
, the fifth Duke of Milan. It was produced in Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population.
The area of the whole city a ...
, Flanders, probably between 1466 and 1477. Its name derives from its black borders and dark colour scheme, also found in the New York Black Hours, Morgan MS 493, and of a type favoured by the Burgundian court. It is one of about seven surviving black books of hours
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Black books of hours are a type of luxury Flemish illuminated manuscript books of hours using pages of vellum that were soaked with black dye or ink before they were lettered or illustrated, for an unusual and dramatic effect. The text ...
, all luxury books from the circle of the Burgundian court around this time. It is identified by some with the Black Hours of Charles the Bold that is mentioned in contemporary records, but others disagree.
It measures , has 154 folios and includes 15 full-page miniatures, 24 small-format miniatures, as well as 71 figurative or ornamental initials, and borders with medallions. The illuminations of the book are entirely attributed to the anonymous Master of Anthony of Burgundy
The Master of Anthony of Burgundy was a Flanders, Flemish illuminated manuscript, miniature painter active in Bruges between about 1460 and 1490, apparently running a large workshop, and producing some of the most sophisticated work of the final f ...
. Written in Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
, it follows the Roman liturgy. The text is inscribed in gold and silver, using textus semi-quadratus, a Gothic script.Black Prayer Book of Galeazzo Maria Sforza. facsimilefinder.com. Retrieved 24 November 2017 According to the historian Antoine de Schryver, this manuscript was commissioned by
Charles the Bold
Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...
, duke of Burgundy, and is the one mentioned in the archives of the duke, decorated by the French illuminator Philippe de Mazerolles. This hypothesis is criticized by other historians of art, who consider the Black Hours of Charles the Bold to be mostly lost, with fragments surviving in the Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
(MI1091) and the Bibliothèque nationale de France (NAL149).Bousmann, 332-333
Gallery
Notes
Sources
* Bousmanne, Bernard. ''Miniatures flamandes''. Bibliothèque nationale de France / Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, 2012. (), * Jenni, Ulrike; Thoss,Dagmar. ''Das Schwarze Gebetbuch, Codex 1856''. Frankfurt am Main: Kommentar zur Faksimile-Ausgabe, 1982. {{refendExternal links
MS description
by the Center for Håndskriftstudier i Danmark 15th-century illuminated manuscripts Black books of hours Illuminated books of hours Manuscripts of the Austrian National Library