The Virtuosity of Flemish Manuscript Illuminators Radiates in this Salisbury Book of Hours

Published on 23 September 2021, by Philippe Dufour

Auction on 29 September 2021 - 14:00 (CEST) - Route de Blois - 41100 Vendôme

The art of the miniature reached such heights in 15^th-century Flanders that the period be could be dubbed the golden age of illuminated manuscripts. Works of the Ghent-Bruges School, like this Salisbury Book of Hours (Book of Hours for the Use of Sarum), stand out among its refined creations.

Flanders, c. 1500, Hours of Salisbury (Horae beatae Mariae Virginis secundum usum... The Virtuosity of Flemish Manuscript Illuminators Radiates in this Salisbury Book of Hours

Flanders, c. 1500, Hours of Salisbury (Horae beatae Mariae Virginis secundum usum Sarum), manuscript on fine vellum, large octavo folio (20.3 x 13.5 cm/8 x 5.31 in), 137 leaves with 17 lines per page, 19^th-century velvet binding with metal clasps.
Estimate: €10,000/20,000

Influenced by easel painting, illuminated manuscripts underwent unprecedented changes in 1470s Flanders. Illustrators turned away from still-medieval motifs to embrace a new, free, naturalistic style. Large miniatures, now paintings in their own right, mingled landscapes, flowers, fruits, animals and portraits within the frame. One of the movement’s main…

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