Hours of James IV of Scotland
Encyclopedia
The Hours of James IV of Scotland, Prayer book of James IV and Queen Margaret (or variants) is an illuminated book of hours
, produced in 1503 or later, probably in Ghent
. It marks a highpoint of the late 15th century Ghent-Bruges
school of illumination and is now in the Austrian National Library
in Vienna
(Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Codex Vindobonensis 1897). It is thought to have been a wedding gift from James IV of Scotland
or another Scottish nobleman to James's wife Margaret Tudor
on the occasion of their marriage, perhaps finishing a book already started for another purpose. A number of artists worked on the extensive programme of decoration, so that "the manuscript in its entirety presents a rather odd picture of heterogeneity". The best known miniature, a full-page portrait of James at prayer before an altar with an altarpiece
of Christ and an altar frontal with James's coat-of-arms, gave his name to the Master of James IV of Scotland
, who is now generally identified as Gerard Horenbout
, court painter to Margaret of Austria; he did only one other miniature in the book. The equivalent image of Margaret is the only image by another artist, using a rather generic face for the queen's portrait, and in a similar style to that of the Master of the First Prayer Book of Maximilian. Other artists worked on the other miniatures, which include an unusual series of unpopulated landscapes in the calendar - perhaps the Flemish artists were not sure how Scots should be dressed.
Drawings had evidently been sent to Flanders of James' portrait and the heraldry of the couple, but perhaps not of Margaret. Probably drawings were sent of the panel portraits in Edinburgh
of James III of Scotland
and his queen Margaret of Denmark
by Hugo van der Goes
, since the portrait miniatures show similar iconography
. After she was widowed Margaret gave the book to her sister Mary Tudor, Queen of France, inscribing it (on f. 188): "Madame I pray your grace / Remember on me when ye / loke upon this bok / Your lofing syster / Margaret". By the time of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
in the late 17th century it had entered the library of the Austrian Habsburgs in Vienna. It was exhibited in London and Malibu
in 2003-2004.
script, by a known scribe (The "Thin Descender Scribe"). The illumination is of uneven quality, by many hands, consisting in total of 19 full-page and 46 small miniatures, as well as 14 half-page miniatures of landscapes (but with no attempt to show the changing seasons) in the calendar. There are 2 historiated initial
s and 9 historiated borders, and decorated borders to every text page. The heraldry of the couple appears in several places, including a full page devoted to James's arms.
Book of Hours
The book of hours was a devotional book popular in the later Middle Ages. It is the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript. Like every manuscript, each manuscript book of hours is unique in one way or another, but most contain a similar collection of texts, prayers and...
, produced in 1503 or later, probably in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
. It marks a highpoint of the late 15th century Ghent-Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
school of illumination and is now in the Austrian National Library
Austrian National Library
The Austrian National Library , is the largest library in Austria, with 7.4 million items in its collections. It is located in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna; since 2005 some of the collections are located in the baroque Palais Mollard-Clary...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
(Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Codex Vindobonensis 1897). It is thought to have been a wedding gift from James IV of Scotland
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
or another Scottish nobleman to James's wife Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
on the occasion of their marriage, perhaps finishing a book already started for another purpose. A number of artists worked on the extensive programme of decoration, so that "the manuscript in its entirety presents a rather odd picture of heterogeneity". The best known miniature, a full-page portrait of James at prayer before an altar with an altarpiece
Altarpiece
An altarpiece is a picture or relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the altar of a church. The altarpiece is often made up of two or more separate panels created using a technique known as panel painting. It is then called a diptych, triptych or polyptych for two,...
of Christ and an altar frontal with James's coat-of-arms, gave his name to the Master of James IV of Scotland
Master of James IV of Scotland
The Master of James IV of Scotland was a Flemish manuscript illuminator and painter most likely based in Ghent, or perhaps Bruges. Circumstantial evidence, including several larger panel paintings, indicates that he may be identical with Gerard Horenbout. He was the leading illuminator of the...
, who is now generally identified as Gerard Horenbout
Gerard Horenbout
Gerard Horenbout was a Flemish miniaturist, a late example of the Flemish Primitives. He has been identified with the Master of James IV of Scotland.-Biography:...
, court painter to Margaret of Austria; he did only one other miniature in the book. The equivalent image of Margaret is the only image by another artist, using a rather generic face for the queen's portrait, and in a similar style to that of the Master of the First Prayer Book of Maximilian. Other artists worked on the other miniatures, which include an unusual series of unpopulated landscapes in the calendar - perhaps the Flemish artists were not sure how Scots should be dressed.
Drawings had evidently been sent to Flanders of James' portrait and the heraldry of the couple, but perhaps not of Margaret. Probably drawings were sent of the panel portraits in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
of James III of Scotland
James III of Scotland
James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...
and his queen Margaret of Denmark
Margaret of Denmark
Margaret of Denmark was the Queen Consort of Scotland from 1469 to 1486 as the wife of King James III of Scotland. She was the daughter of King Christian I of Denmark , Norway , and Sweden , and his wife Dorothea of Brandenburg...
by Hugo van der Goes
Hugo van der Goes
Hugo van der Goes was a Flemish painter. He was, along with Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling and Gerard David, one of the most important of the Early Netherlandish painters.-Biography:...
, since the portrait miniatures show similar iconography
Iconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
. After she was widowed Margaret gave the book to her sister Mary Tudor, Queen of France, inscribing it (on f. 188): "Madame I pray your grace / Remember on me when ye / loke upon this bok / Your lofing syster / Margaret". By the time of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
in the late 17th century it had entered the library of the Austrian Habsburgs in Vienna. It was exhibited in London and Malibu
Malibu
Malibu may refer to:Places:* Malibu, Baja California, a beach in Rosarito Beach Municipality, Baja California* Malibu, British Columbia, a camp near the entrance of Princess Louisa Inlet...
in 2003-2004.
Contents
The manuscript consists of ii + 248 + ii folios of 20 x 14 cm. The text is a single column of 20 lines per page, in bastardaBastarda
Bastarda was a Gothic script used in France and Germany during the 14th and 15th centuries. These scripts were designed to provide a simplified letter that was appropriate for the copying of books or documents of minor value or importance.The early printers produced regional versions in type...
script, by a known scribe (The "Thin Descender Scribe"). The illumination is of uneven quality, by many hands, consisting in total of 19 full-page and 46 small miniatures, as well as 14 half-page miniatures of landscapes (but with no attempt to show the changing seasons) in the calendar. There are 2 historiated initial
Historiated initial
A historiated initial is an enlarged letter at the beginning of a paragraph or other section of text, which contains a picture. Strictly speaking, an inhabited initial contains figures that are decorative only, without forming a subject, whereas in a historiated initial there is an identifiable...
s and 9 historiated borders, and decorated borders to every text page. The heraldry of the couple appears in several places, including a full page devoted to James's arms.
Further reading
- Gustav Friedrich WaagenGustav Friedrich WaagenGustav Friedrich Waagen was a German art historian.Waagen was born in Hamburg, the son of a painter and nephew of the poet Ludwig Tieck. Having passed through the college of Hirschberg, he volunteered for service in the Napoleonic campaign of 1813-1814, and on his return attended the lectures at...
: Manuscripte mit Miniaturen, Handzeichnungen und Kupferstiche in der k.k. Hofbibliothek und Privatsammlungen (Die vornehmsten Kunstdenkmäler in Wien; 2). Wien 1867, pp. 91-93. - Paul Durrieu: Le Jaques IV. Roi d’Eccosse. In: Gazette des Beaux Arts, Vol. 5 (1921), Part 3, pp. 197-212.
- Paul Durrieu: La miniature flamande au temps de la cour de Bourgogne (1415-1530). Librairie Nationale, Paris 1921.
- Leslie Macfarlane: The Book of Hours of James IV and Margaret Tudor. In: Innes Review, Vol. 11 (1960), pp. 3-21, .
- Facsimile: Das Gebetbuch Jakobs IV. von Schottland (Codices Selecti; 85). Vollständige farbige Faksimile-Ausgabe. ADEVA, Graz 1987, ISBN 3-201-01354-4.
- Das Faksimile (Hauptband). 1987.
- Friedrich Unterkircher: Kommentarband. 1987.
- Duncan Macmillan: Scottish Art 1460-1990. Mainstream Publ., Edinburgh 1990, ISBN 1-85158-251-7.