The Black Hours, MS M.493 (or the Morgan Black Hours) is an

illuminated Illuminated may refer to: * Illuminated (song), "Illuminated" (song), by Hurts * Illuminated Film Company, a British animation house * ''Illuminated'', alternative title of Black Sheep (Nat & Alex Wolff album) * Illuminated manuscript See also

book of hours A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

completed in

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

between 1460 and 1475. It consists of 121 pages (leaves) with Latin text written in Gothic minuscule script. The words are arranged in rows of fourteen lines and follow the Roman version of the texts. The lettering is inscribed in silver and

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

and placed within borders ornamented with flowers, foliage and

grotesque Since at least the 18th century (in French and German, as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

s, on pages dyed a deep blueish black; hence its designation as a Black books of hours. The book contains fourteen full-page miniatures and opens with the months of the

liturgical calendar The liturgical year, also called the church year, Christian year, ecclesiastical calendar, or kalendar, consists of the cycle of liturgical days and seasons that determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be obs ...

(folios 3

verso ''Recto'' is the "right" or "front" side and ''verso'' is the "left" or "back" side when text is written or printed on a leaf of paper () in a bound item such as a codex, book, broadsheet, or pamphlet. In double-sided printing, each leaf h ...

– 14 recto), followed by the Hours of the Virgin, and ends with the

Office of the Dead The Office of the Dead or Office for the Dead (in Latin, Officium Defunctorum) is a prayer cycle of the Canonical Hours in the Catholic Church, Anglican Church and Lutheran Church, said for the repose of the soul of a decedent. It is the proper ...

(folio 121v). MS M.493 has been in the collection of the

Morgan Library & Museum The Morgan Library & Museum (originally known as the Pierpont Morgan Library and colloquially known the Morgan) is a museum and research library in New York City, New York, U.S. Completed in 1906 as the private library of the banker J. P. Morg ...

, New York, since 1912. It is one of seven surviving black books of hours, all originating from Bruges and dated to the mid-to-late 15th century. They are so named for their unusual dark blueish appearance, a colourisation achieved through the expensive process of dyeing the

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. It is often distinguished from parchment, either by being made from calfskin (rather than the skin of other animals), or simply by being of a higher quality. Vellu ...

with

iron gall ink Iron gall ink (also known as common ink, standard ink, oak gall ink or iron gall nut ink) is a purple-black or brown-black ink made from iron salts and tannic acids from vegetable sources. It was the standard ink formulation used in Europe for t ...

. This dye is very corrosive and the surviving examples are mostly badly decomposed; MS M.493 is in relatively good condition due to its very thick parchment. The book is a masterpiece of Late Gothic

manuscript illumination An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is decorated with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers and liturgical books such as psalters and ...

."Das Schwarze Stundenbuch"
New York: Old Manuscripts & Incunabula. p. 29. Retrieved 11 October 2015 However, no records survive of its commission, but its uniquely dark tone, expense of production, quality and rarity suggest ownership by privileged and sophisticated members of the Burgundian court. The book is often attributed, on stylistic grounds, to a follower of Willem Vrelant, a leading and influential Flemish illuminator.

Commission

The black books of hours are a grouping of four to five (some books so defined contain only a few pages in this style) extant

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

illuminated manuscripts so named for their dark appearance.Walther (2014), p. 362 The effect was achieved by soaking the vellum in black dye or ink before they were lettered with gold and silver leaf."The Black Hours, MS M493"
Penn Libraries Manuscripts. Retrieved 14 March 2017 The black dye was highly corrosive so the metals had to be of high purity, and the vellum needed to be unusually thick to survive the process."Black Hours M. 493 – Morgan Library & Museum"
Simbach am Inn, Germany: Faksimile Verlag (in German). Retrieved 25 April 2018 The black manuscripts date from about 1455–80 and include the "

Black Hours, Hispanic Society, New York The Black Hours now in the collection of the Hispanic Society of America museum in New York City is a black book of hours made around 1458. The calendar is appropriate for the Crown of Aragon, and it has been suggested that it was a bereavement g ...

" (c. 1458), " Black Hours of Galeazzo Maria Sforza" (c. 1466–67) and the "

Hours of Mary of Burgundy The Hours of Mary of Burgundy ()Inglis, I is a book of hours, a form of devotional book for Laity, lay-people, completed in Flanders around 1477, and now in the National Library of Austria. It was probably commissioned for Mary of Burgundy, Mary, ...

" (c. 1477). The artwork is of a sophisticated and unusual taste, and the uncommon colour of the pages likely carried an almost mystical aura for the owner. MS M.493 can thus be assumed as intended for high nobility; probably from the court of

Philip the Good Philip III the Good (; ; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) ruled as Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death in 1467. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonged. During his reign, ...

Charles the Bold Charles Martin (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), called the Bold, was the last duke of Burgundy from the House of Valois-Burgundy, ruling from 1467 to 1477. He was the only surviving legitimate son of Philip the Good and his third wife, ...

. The members of the Burgundian court were known to have had a preference for dark, sombre colours, and the black books can be assumed to have been designed specifically for their taste.Walther (2014), p. 363 Black books were more highly regarded than conventional illuminated books of hours, and today art historians assume they were commissioned by the court of

.Walther (2014), p. 372 Philip's proclivity for black arose from the brutal assassination in 1419 of his father

John the Fearless John I (; ; 28 May 1371 – 10 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his assassination in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs during the early 15th century, part ...

. The funeral procession was lined with 2000 black flags with black

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

. From then on, Philip wore only black clothes as an expression of his grief. The style was adapted by other members of the court, who seem to have favoured black against gold and silver in artworks as well in formal dress, as can be seen in

Rogier van der Weyden Rogier van der Weyden (; 1399 or 140018 June 1464), initially known as Roger de le Pasture (), was an Early Netherlandish painting, early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commis ...

's contemporary ''

Jean Wauquelin presenting his 'Chroniques de Hainaut' to Philip the Good ''Jean Wauquelin presenting his 'Chroniques de Hainaut' to Philip the Good'' is a presentation miniature believed to have been painted by the Early Netherlandish artist Rogier van der Weyden (or if not actually from his hand then certainly by hi ...

''.Walther (2014), p. 373

Emperor Maximilian I Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death in 1519. He was never crowned by the Pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed hi ...

observed of the Burgundian rulers that their collections were "luxurious, the home treasury, and the library full of treasures, and the court ceremonial were oriented on a godlike super-elevation of the ruler."

Attribution

The manuscript does not contain any family crest to identify the donor, who, given the expense of the book and its labour-intensive production, is assumed to have been a high-ranking member of court.

Feast days The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

noted in the calendars, including for Donatian of Reims (14 October), indicate it was produced in Bruges; or, given the inclusion of the feast of Livinus (12 November), possibly in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

.Curatorial descriptio
"House of the Virgin. Rome. XV cent. M.493"

, 1998. Retrieved 8 April 2018 The artists who designed, illustrated and inscribed MS M.493 are unknown, as are the circumstances of its commission. The book is often linked to the circle of the

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

illuminator Willem Vrelant, who was highly regarded and successful and was active in Bruges from the 1450s until his death in 1481. This tentative attribution is based on the resemblance of some of the figures in the miniatures to those in works attributed to him; the angular and linear manner of the figures' clothes is also consistent with his style. The text "pro me peccatore" (''for me, a sinner''), which uses a masculine form of the Latin noun meaning "sinner", indicates that the book was produced for a man. Additionally, the inventory records of its mid-19th-century owner Nicholas Yemeniz state that it was produced by a workshop which had often been commissioned by the Burgundian Dukes. Other possible attributions include the circle of the French painter

Philippe de Mazerolles Philippe is a masculine given name, cognate to Philip, and sometimes also a surname. The name may refer to: * Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present) * Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Prin ...

(d. 1479), or the workshop of Lieven van Lathem (active 1454–93). According to the Morgan Library, van Lathem's influence can be seen in the "figures in angular drapery homove somewhat stiffly in shallowly defined spaces... hilethe men's flat faces are dominated by large noses". The style of the miniatures and borders is similar to those produced by the Galeazzo Maria Sforza in Vienna, but they are not from the same workshop.

Description

The manuscript consists of 122 pages each measuring about . The borders are mostly coloured light blue, while the illustrations are overwhelmingly dark, and of black, grey red, old rose and green pigments, with some white and flesh-tone colours. Each miniature is placed opposite the text of a prayer set against a dark background. This book's solemnity is in contrast to the bright colours found in most contemporary

books of hours A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, mo ...

and seems to reflect a rather gloomy and mournful outlook. The many shades of blue were achieved from a variety of ingredients, each allowing varying depths and varieties of colour. The miniature's technique and style can be dated as around 1475. In the 15th century,

Ultramarine Ultramarine is a deep blue pigment which was originally made by grinding lapis lazuli into a powder. Its lengthy grinding and washing process makes the natural pigment quite valuable—roughly ten times more expensive than the stone it comes fr ...

pigment was extremely rare and worth more by weight than gold; thus its prevalence in this work is an indicator of the commissioner's wealth. The opening letters of each prayer are formed from gold leaf on green ground. Their texts contain words from the Hours of the Cross, the Hours of the Holy Spirit, the Mass of the Virgin, the Hours of the Virgin, the Penitential Psalms, and the Office of the Dead. The lettering is in Gothic minuscule with silver ink, with gold leaf added to the rubrics. The border decorations include landscapes, jagged acanthus

scroll A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing. Structure A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyru ...

s, birds, small animals and grotesques; the latter are similar in style to those found in the Black Hours of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, and include naked winged devils and hybrid men."Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts"
Morgan Library & Museum. Retrieved 13 April 2018 They are ornamented exclusively in gold and are shaded mostly by black pigment. They are lined with yellow or gold

filigree Filigree (also less commonly spelled ''filagree'', and formerly written ''filigrann'' or ''filigrene'') is a form of intricate metalwork used in jewellery and other small forms of metalwork. In jewellery, it is usually of gold and silver, m ...

and extravagant foliage, including vines. The manuscript has deteriorated over time and has flaked in some areas."Fols. 62v–63r"
Morgan Library & Museum. Retrieved 11 October 2015 The book was rebound in the 19th century for its then owner, the French bibliophile , by the bookbinder (known as Trautz-Bauzonnet), and is today encased in a wooden box, which is also modern. The binding is in tan pigskin with oxidised silver clasps. Yemeniz's monogram of two interlocking "Y"'s is stamped on the central panel of the binding and on the clasps.Book of hours (MS M.493)
Morgan Library & Museum. Retrieved 4 October 2015

Miniatures

The miniatures depict scenes from the lives of the Virgin and Christ and are placed to the left (

) pages of the book, mostly against calendar representations of days from the liturgical year. The illuminations include biblical figures dressed in contemporary late

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

or Gothic dress. In folio 76v,

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

wears the ceremonial robes of a 15th-century monarch. The decorations on the borders are particularly vivid in detail. ''The Crucifixion'' (folio 14v) is the book's most acclaimed illustration. It is outlined by border illustrations of fantastical creatures and a peacock. The illumination shows Jesus on the cross with his head inclined and bleeding from multiple wounds.

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

, wearing a

wimple A wimple is a medieval form of female headcovering, formed of a large piece of cloth worn draped around the neck and chin, covering the top of the head; it was usually made from white linen or silk. Its use developed in early medieval Europe ...

d veil, and St John stand to the left of the foot of the cross. Both have halos. The gesturing mourners to their right are given facial expressions that convey a deep sense of sadness and loss. Behind them are two soldiers wearing helmets, one of whom may be

Longinus Longinus (Greek: Λογγίνος) is the name of the Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance, who in apostolic and some modern Christian traditions is described as a convert to Christianity. His name first appeared in the apoc ...

. The hilly landscape behind the figures depicts the walls of Jerusalem set against a deep blue sky. The marginalia contain hybrid men, including one who is half fish and lifts a sword, and another with animal legs. Art historian Ingo Walther described folio 18v, which depicts the Descent of the Holy Spirit, as evidencing the "unusual, exquisite and precious overall effect... generated by using the technique of fixing an illumination on a piece of black dyed parchment".

Rinceau In architecture and the decorative arts, a rinceau (plural ''rinceaux''; from the French language, French, derived from old French ''rain'' 'branch with foliage') is a decorative form consisting of a continuous wavy stemlike motif from which smal ...

decorations on the edges outline a depiction of Mary at the centre of the court of the Apostles. The gilded "D" represents the opening letter of the Hours of the Holy Spirit. The following is a complete list of the manuscript's miniatures: * Folio 14v: ''The Crucifixion'' (opposite "Hours of the Cross") * Folio 18v: ''Pentecost'' (opposite "Hours of the Holy Spirit: Matins") * Folio 22v: ''Virgin and Child'' (opposite "Mass of the Virgin") * Folio 29v: ''Annunciation'' (opposite "Hours of the Virgin: Matins") * Folio 39v: ''Visitation'' (opposite "Hours of the Virgin: Lauds") * Folio 50v: ''Nativity'' (Folio 50v: "Nativity" (opposite "Hours of the Virgin: Prime")) * Folio 54v: ''Annunciation to the Shepherds'' (opposite "Hours of the Virgin: Terce") * Folio 58v: ''Adoration of the Magi'' (opposite "Hours of the Virgin: Sext") * Folio 62v: ''Massacre of the Innocents'' (opposite "Hours of the Virgin") * Folio 66v: ''Flight into Egypt'' (opposite "Hours of the Virgin") * Folio 72v: ''Coronation of the Virgin'' (opposite "Hours of the Virgin: Compline") * Folio 76v: ''David in prayer'' (opposite "Penitential Psalms and Litany") * Folio 93v: ''Resurrection of Lazarus'' (opposite "Office of the Dead: Vespers") * Folio 98v: ''Chanting of the Office of the Dead'' (opposite "Office of the Dead: Matins")

Provenance and exhibition history

MS 493's early history is obscure, and there are no surviving title or inventory records before the 19th century. The

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

of the family of Isabelle de Bethe is stamped on one of the pages; her family married into Burgundians and were wealthy and prominent members of Flanders society. The manuscript is described in an 1867 inventory of the collection of Nicholas Yemeniz (1806–1869), a

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

silk manufacturer born in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. It was acquired by the French publisher and art collector Ambroise Firmin-Didot in 1871. He sold the book to Alphonse Labitte in 1879."Schoenberg Database of Manuscripts"

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. Retrieved 22 November 2017 MS M.493 was acquired by Robert Hoe in 1909 for $500 (about $ in terms). Hoe held it until 1912; following his death that year it was sold in a large scale and commercially successful sell-off of his collection of rare and antique books."End of the Great Hoe Library Sale Approaching". ''Lotus Magazine''. Volume 4, No. 1, October 1912. pp. 5–11 It passed between two book dealers,

Bernard Quaritch Bernard Alexander Christian Quaritch ( ; April 23, 1819 – December 17, 1899) was a German-born British bookseller and collector. The company established by Bernard Quaritch in 1847 lives on in London as Bernard Quaritch Ltd, dealing in rare ...

and Léon Gruel, before its eventual acquisition by the Pierpont Morgan Library later that year. The book was exhibited at the Paris Colonial Exhibition, the Maritime et d'art Flamand in Antwerp in 1930, at the Morgan's 50th anniversary exhibition in 1957, in Brussels in 1959, and in Bruges in 1981.

Selected images

File:Black Hours, Morgan Library August (conclusion).jpg, Folios. 9v–10r. Calendar: August (conclusion), opp: Calendar: September File:MS M.493, fol. 9r.jpg, Folio 9r: Calendar: August File:MS M.493, fol. 38v.jpg, Folio 38v: Hours of the Virgin: Matins (conclusion) File:MS M.493, fol. 28v.jpg, Folio 28v: Mass of the Virgin (conclusion) File:MS M.493, fol. 93v.jpg, Folio 93v: Raising of Lazarus, Office of the Dead (

vespers Vespers /ˈvɛspərz/ () is a Christian liturgy, liturgy of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic liturgy, Eastern Catholic liturgical rites), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental O ...

) File:MS M.493, fol. 104v.jpg, Folio 104v: Office of the Dead:

Matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning (between midnight and dawn). The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which w ...

(first

nocturns Nocturns (Latin: ''nocturni'' or ''nocturna'') is a Christian canonical hour said in the nighttime. In the liturgy of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, nocturns refer to the sections into which the canonical hour of matins was divided from ...

) File:MS M.493, fol. 38r.jpg, Folio 38r: Hours of the Virgin: Matins File:M493 090v 91r.jpg, Folio 91r:

Penitential A penitential is a book or set of church rules concerning the Christianity, Christian sacrament of penance, used for regular private confession with a confessor-priest, a "new manner of reconciliation with God in Christianity, God" that was prom ...

Psalms and

Litany Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Jewish worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin ''wikt:litania, litania'' from Ancient Greek wikt:λιτα ...

References

Notes

Sources

* Ainsworth, Maryan. ''Man, Myth, and Sensual Pleasures: Jan Gossart's Renaissance: the Complete Works''. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010. * Harthan, John. ''The Book of Hours''. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1977. * Jenni, Ulrike; Thoss, Dagmar. ''Das Schwarze Gebetbuch, Codex 1856'' (in German). Frankfurt am Main: Insel Verlag, 1982. * MacBeth, Rhona, "The Rise of Blue in Europe", in

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...

, ''Blue: Cobalt to Cerulean in Art and Culture''. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 2015. * Walther, Ingo. ''Codices Illustres''. Berlin: Taschen Verlag, 2014.

External links

{{Commons category, Black hours, M493
Full set of digitized images, Morgan Library
15th-century illuminated manuscripts Black books of hours Collection of the Morgan Library & Museum Illuminated books of hours