About the Artwork
Beginning in the late twelfth century secular Christians could mark the passage of the day with the reading of prayers from a book called the Book of Hours. Based on the Breviary used by Christian religious orders and clergy, the Book of Hours included a calendar marked with holidays (here we see the Annunciation to the Shepherds) and the names of saints to be commemorated on each day of year, a series of prayers in honor of the Virgin Mary to be read at set times of the day, and other prayers and readings. Compact in size, these books were originally handwritten by professional scribes.
Book of Hours (use of Rome)
between 1500 and 1510
Master of the David Scenes in the Grimani Breviary and his workshop (Artist) Netherlandish Ludovicus Bloc (Book Binder) Netherlandish, active in bruges 1484 - 1529
Ink, tempera and gold on parchment with leather binding
Sheet: 3 3/8 × 2 3/8 inches (8.6 × 6 cm) Overall (closed): 3 5/8 × 2 5/8 × 1 1/8 inches (9.2 × 6.7 × 2.9 cm)
Manuscripts
Prints, Drawings & Photographs
Founders Society Purchase, Metropolitan Opera Benefit Fund and General Membership Fund
63.146
This work is in the public domain.
Markings
Signed, on binding, by Ludovicus Block [documented in Bruges 1484-1529].
------
Provenance
Rev. Walter Sneyd (England)
December 16, 1903, auctioned through (Sotheby's & Co., London, England), lot 384
purchased by C. W. Dyson Perrins (England)
December 1, 1959, auctioned through (Sotheby's & Co., London, England), lot 87
(Bernard Quaritch, Ltd., London, England)
(Scribners, New York, New York, USA)
1963-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:
Provenance pageExhibition History
Please note: This section is empty
The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.
Suggest FeedbackPublished References
Exhibition of Illuminated Manuscripts. Exh. cat., Burlington Fine Arts Club. London, 1908, no. 239.
Warner, George, Sir. Descriptive catalogue of illuminated manuscripts in the library of C. W. Dyson Perrins. Oxford, 1920, no. 103.
Illuminated Manuscripts the Property of C.W. Dyson Perrins. Sales cat., Sotheby & Co. London, December 1, 1959, lot. 87.
The Institute Collects. Exh. cat., DIA. Detroit, 1964-65, p. 18.
Barry, M.S. "A Study of a Book of Hours of the Virgin." unpublished master's thesis, Wayne State University, Detroit, 1973 [attributed to Anonymous shop, Bruges, c.1500].
Kren, T. "A Book of Hours in the Beinecke Library (Ms 287) and an Atelier from the Ghent-Bruges School," master's thesis, Yale University, New Haven, 1974, no. 10.
Cahn, W. and J. Marrow. Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts at Yale: A Selection. 1978 [referred to as Ghent-Bruges school].
Wieck, R. Late Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts 1350-1525 in the Houghton Library. Cambridge, MA, 1983, p. 58 [compared with Ms Richardson 8].
Kren, T., ed. Renaissance Painting in Manuscripts; Treasures from the British Library.
Exh. cat., Pierpont Morgan Library; Royal Academy (for the British Library). London, 1983-84, pp. 59-62 [mentioned in cat. no. 7: "Hours of Joanna of Castile"].
"Family Art Game," Detroit Free Press (May 18, 1986): p. 14 (ill.). [DIA Advertising Supplement].
Randall, L.M.C. "Belgium, 1250-1530." In Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the Walters Art Gallery, vol. 3. Baltimore/London, 1997, pt. 2, pp. 478-479 cat. 289 [mention in entry for W. 428], and p. 508, cat. 294 [mention in entry for W. 433].
Kren, T. and S. McKendrick. Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe. Exh. cat., J. Paul Getty Museum, Royal Academy. Los Angeles, London, 2003, p. 384, footnote 12 [entry by E. Morrison; as early workshop production of Master of the David Scenes].
Kindly share your feedback or any additional information, as this record is still a work in progress and may need further refinement.
Suggest FeedbackCatalogue Raisoneé
Please note: This section is empty
Credit Line for Reproduction
Master of the David Scenes in the Grimani Breviary and his workshop; Ludovicus Bloc, Book of Hours (use of Rome), between 1500 and 1510, ink, tempera and gold on parchment with leather binding. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Metropolitan Opera Benefit Fund and General Membership Fund, 63.146.
Feedback
We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction or improvement.
Suggest Feedback
