DOI Artikel:
Łanuszka, Magdalena: Piętnastowieczny rękopis Godzinek w krakowskiej Bibliotece Książąt Czartoryskich
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19072#0126
(Bibliotheąue Nationale de France, Ms. Nouv. Acq. Lat. 3093). Slightly thicker, interlace frames
and denser tangles of branches adorn the margins of the Paris Book of Hours dating frora the
first ąuarter of the 15lh century, in the holdings of the Walters Art Gallery as W. 232. W. 231.
and W. 103. The frames of miniatures, varying in thickness but generally akin to those in Ms.
Czart. 3467, can be found in other Books Hours of Paris origin, produced c. 1420 (Bibliotheąue
Nationale de France, Ms. Nouv. Acq. Lat. 3109, ill. 5). As regards the arrangement of the illu-
minated pages a considerable resemblance to the manuscnpt discussed here can be seen in some
leaves of the so-ca\\ed Book of Hours of the Saint-MaurFamily, executed in Paris c. 1410-1415
(Bibliotheąue Nationale de France. Ms. nouv. Acq. Lat. 3107, ill. 6). The latter manuscnpt is
ascribed to the ateliers of the Masters of the Duke of Bedford and of Marshal Boucicaut; it
should therefore be emphasized that its affinity to the Cracow manuscript leads us again to Paris
illumination. Nevertheless, it is in the south-Netherlandish (or north-French?) Book of Hours
dated to c. 1400 (Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the Hague, Ms. 135 E 36. ill. 7) that the borders and
frames as well as marginal images of hybrids bcar the strongest resemblance to those in Ms.
Czart. 3467. Although the miniatures of the "Hague" manuscript are entirely different in terms
of style and iconography, the marginal decoration and the frames in the rwo manuscripts are so
strikingly alike that we are justified in ascribing them to one artist; however, there is no doubt
that the miniatures in the "Hague" manuscript and in the Cracow Book of Hours were painted
by two different illuminators.
It seems that Ms. Czart. 3467 was produced towards the end of the first ąuarter of the 15th
century. Considering a rather Iow level of our artisfs skill, he should be regarded as a late fol-
lower of the style widespread in Paris c. 1410-1420. An additional argument for this dating of the
manuscript discussed would be some iconographic details such as, for instance. the dark-skinned
king in the Adoration of the Magi (ill. 8) or the presence of God the Father (and not Christ) in
the image of Maiestas Domini (ill. 9), both of which appear to be rare and fairly innovative for
the turn of the 14th and 15lh centuries. On the other hand, the motifs going back to the 14lh cen-
tury, at first glance archaizing, persisted in painting until as late as the middle of the following
century. Thus The Nativity with the Virgin Mary in childbed (ill. 10), who is not in contact with
the Child, may be encountered in the 14th as well as in the 15Ih century (for example, in the Paris
Book of Hours dating from the first ąuarter of the 15lh century, Walters Art Gallery, W. 237,
or in the Liege Book of Hours, c. 1410-1430 - Koninklijke Bibliotheek. the Hague. KB. 135
K 17). A similar observation concerns The Corouation of the Virgin Mary (ill. 11): the image
of Our Lady seated on one bench together with Christ and being crowned by Him, is known
from as late as the beginning of the 15th century, as is exemplified by a Paris manuscript of c.
1400-1410 (Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the Hague, KB, 76 F 21). There are therefore no grounds
for dating the Book of Hours (Ms. Czart. 3467) to c. 1400; the motifs "leaning" towards the 14Ih
century (The Nativity and The Corouation of the Yirgin Mary) did not disappear immediately
in the early years of the next century and thus cannot decide such an early dating of the prayer
book as proposed by Jaroslawiecka-Gąsiorowska.
To sum up, the character of the decoration of the manuscript and the content of the litany
justify the hypothesis that the Book of Hours (Ms. Czart. 3467) was executed. broadly speak-
ing, in the northem and not southern part of France. The miniatures were painted by a master
probably trained in the Paris circle, although the manuscript itself is not linked with the Paris
diocese (the litany lacks the patrons of Paris. SS Genevieve and Denys). The other artist, closely
cooperating with the author of the miniatures, painted the frames and borders. The prayer book
may have been commissioned by someone connected with the Franciscan Order, possibly from
the region of either Strasbourg, Auxerre, Verdun or Orleans (which would be indicated by the
saints invoked in the litany), and produced within the first ąuarter of the 15Ih century.
98
and denser tangles of branches adorn the margins of the Paris Book of Hours dating frora the
first ąuarter of the 15lh century, in the holdings of the Walters Art Gallery as W. 232. W. 231.
and W. 103. The frames of miniatures, varying in thickness but generally akin to those in Ms.
Czart. 3467, can be found in other Books Hours of Paris origin, produced c. 1420 (Bibliotheąue
Nationale de France, Ms. Nouv. Acq. Lat. 3109, ill. 5). As regards the arrangement of the illu-
minated pages a considerable resemblance to the manuscnpt discussed here can be seen in some
leaves of the so-ca\\ed Book of Hours of the Saint-MaurFamily, executed in Paris c. 1410-1415
(Bibliotheąue Nationale de France. Ms. nouv. Acq. Lat. 3107, ill. 6). The latter manuscnpt is
ascribed to the ateliers of the Masters of the Duke of Bedford and of Marshal Boucicaut; it
should therefore be emphasized that its affinity to the Cracow manuscript leads us again to Paris
illumination. Nevertheless, it is in the south-Netherlandish (or north-French?) Book of Hours
dated to c. 1400 (Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the Hague, Ms. 135 E 36. ill. 7) that the borders and
frames as well as marginal images of hybrids bcar the strongest resemblance to those in Ms.
Czart. 3467. Although the miniatures of the "Hague" manuscript are entirely different in terms
of style and iconography, the marginal decoration and the frames in the rwo manuscripts are so
strikingly alike that we are justified in ascribing them to one artist; however, there is no doubt
that the miniatures in the "Hague" manuscript and in the Cracow Book of Hours were painted
by two different illuminators.
It seems that Ms. Czart. 3467 was produced towards the end of the first ąuarter of the 15th
century. Considering a rather Iow level of our artisfs skill, he should be regarded as a late fol-
lower of the style widespread in Paris c. 1410-1420. An additional argument for this dating of the
manuscript discussed would be some iconographic details such as, for instance. the dark-skinned
king in the Adoration of the Magi (ill. 8) or the presence of God the Father (and not Christ) in
the image of Maiestas Domini (ill. 9), both of which appear to be rare and fairly innovative for
the turn of the 14th and 15lh centuries. On the other hand, the motifs going back to the 14lh cen-
tury, at first glance archaizing, persisted in painting until as late as the middle of the following
century. Thus The Nativity with the Virgin Mary in childbed (ill. 10), who is not in contact with
the Child, may be encountered in the 14th as well as in the 15Ih century (for example, in the Paris
Book of Hours dating from the first ąuarter of the 15lh century, Walters Art Gallery, W. 237,
or in the Liege Book of Hours, c. 1410-1430 - Koninklijke Bibliotheek. the Hague. KB. 135
K 17). A similar observation concerns The Corouation of the Virgin Mary (ill. 11): the image
of Our Lady seated on one bench together with Christ and being crowned by Him, is known
from as late as the beginning of the 15th century, as is exemplified by a Paris manuscript of c.
1400-1410 (Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the Hague, KB, 76 F 21). There are therefore no grounds
for dating the Book of Hours (Ms. Czart. 3467) to c. 1400; the motifs "leaning" towards the 14Ih
century (The Nativity and The Corouation of the Yirgin Mary) did not disappear immediately
in the early years of the next century and thus cannot decide such an early dating of the prayer
book as proposed by Jaroslawiecka-Gąsiorowska.
To sum up, the character of the decoration of the manuscript and the content of the litany
justify the hypothesis that the Book of Hours (Ms. Czart. 3467) was executed. broadly speak-
ing, in the northem and not southern part of France. The miniatures were painted by a master
probably trained in the Paris circle, although the manuscript itself is not linked with the Paris
diocese (the litany lacks the patrons of Paris. SS Genevieve and Denys). The other artist, closely
cooperating with the author of the miniatures, painted the frames and borders. The prayer book
may have been commissioned by someone connected with the Franciscan Order, possibly from
the region of either Strasbourg, Auxerre, Verdun or Orleans (which would be indicated by the
saints invoked in the litany), and produced within the first ąuarter of the 15Ih century.
98