The Hours of Maria d'Harcourt is an illuminated

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, ...

produced in 1415 in

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

(the text) and

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

(the illuminations) in the

Duchy of Guelders The Duchy of Guelders (; ; ) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in present-day Germany. Though the present pr ...

. It follows the Roman liturgy, with 6 full-page miniatures and 86 smaller miniatures, with stylised borders. It is divided into two volumes, the larger of which is held in Berlin at the

Staatsbibliothek This is a list of the State Library, state libraries ( for each of the States of Germany, Länder of the Federal Republic of Germany. These libraries hold the Legal deposit, right for legal deposit for the publications in their respective state. ...

, the smaller is held in Vienna by the

Österreichische Nationalbibliothek The Austrian National Library (, ) 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 Vienna. Since 2005, some of the collection ...

Description

The scribe finished the manuscript in 1415, which had been written over the course of decade at the monastery

Marienborn Marienborn is a village and a former municipality in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it has been part of the municipality of Sommersdorf. It is about southwest of Haldensleben. The historic pilgrimage centre n ...

.Van der Laan, p. 185 In the 17th century one part was owned by the

Elector of Brandenburg This article lists the Margraves and Prince-elector, Electors of Margraviate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg during the time when Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire. The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the prima ...

. That is now in the

Berlin State Library The Berlin State Library (; officially abbreviated as ''SBB'', colloquially ''Stabi'') is a universal library in Berlin, Germany, and a property of the German public cultural organization the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (). Founded in ...

, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation under the signature ms. germ. quart. 42. The second part was held by the Habsburgs and is now in the

Austrian National Library The Austrian National Library (, ) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Hofburg#Neue Burg, Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in Innere Stadt, center of Vienna. Sin ...

in Vienna under the signature Cod. 1908. The two parts were together in the 1962 exhibition "European art around 1400", in Vienna and described in the catalog (Nos. 207-208, pp 217–218).

Maria d'Harcourt, Duchess of Guelders and Jülich

Maria d'Harcourt was the daughter of John VI, the Count of Harcourt and Aumale (1342–1389), and Catherine de Bourbon (1342–1427), Princess of France. Her maternal uncle was

Louis II, Duke of Bourbon Louis de Bourbon, called the Good ( – 1410), was the third Duke of Bourbon. He was also the Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis and Lord of Beaujeu. Life Louis was the son of Peter de Bourbon and Isabella de Valois. His mother was the siste ...

(1337–1410). On the 5 May 1405 she married

Reinald IV, Duke of Guelders and Jülich Reinald (died 18 January 1135) was a Norwegian Catholic bishop of Stavanger. He was the first bishop of the Diocese of Stavanger. It has been discussed if he came from Winchester in England. He is known for the construction work of the Stavanger ...

. The proclamation page in her book of hours is French in appearance and is in such a striking contrast to the other miniatures of this German-Dutch handwriting that she must have intended its insertion. But this is not just a nostalgic remembrance of their home. Their political role and the making of heir to confirm the support of Orléans by Guelders were implied conditions of their marriage; also was a big part of her dowry, about 30,000 Ecus, been paid by the Duke of Orleans with the condition that they would have to be repaid in the absence of male heirs. Maria d'Harcourt died childless 1425th Other women without sons asked for in their hours books Mary's help and the appropriate saint, z. B. Marguerite de Foix and Anne of Brittany . Maria von Geldern went one step further than they identified himself directly with the Blessed Mother.

Artist

In the Vigil of the Feast of St. Matthew is stated that the manuscript whose text is written in Low German, for the Duchess on February 23, 1415 in Marienborn Convent (Arnhem) between Oosterbeek and Arnhem was completed by brother Helmich de Leev,

References

Sources

*Van der Laan, Joanka. "Mary of Guelders and her Book". '' Ons Geestelijk Erf'', vol. 86, no. 3, pp. 178-214

External links