An Extraordinary Find: King Louis XII's Personal Book of Hours: Illuminated Throughout by the Martainville Master and the Master of Philippa of Guelders

Horae 17.1 in our Catalogue 75: Horae B. M. V. for the use of Rome. Paris, Philippe Pigouchet for Simon Vostre, dated 15.10.1499. Vellum copy made for King Louis XII and illuminated by the Martainville Master and the Master of Philippa of Guelders.

This book not only represents the printed Book of Hours in all its perfection, but it also powerfully demonstrates why art history in particular has dedicated so much attention to this type of book. This example clearly shows how fluid the transition was from the manuscript to the printed Book of Hours in Paris at the turn from the 15th to the 16th century: this Book of Hours, which according to all that we’ve ascertained, was personalised and presented to King Louis XII on the birth of his daughter Claude de France, is so rich and beautiful in its decoration that an untrained eye could barely distinguish it from a manuscript. It was adorned by two of the most sought-after manuscript illuminators at the time, the Master of Martainville 183 and the Master of Philippa of Guelders.

This book is part of the largest collection of printed Books of Hours in the world, which is offered for sale en bloc.

The collection has been extensively documented in Catalogues No. 50 & 75 (nine volumes), available in our online shop.

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