Black Hours of Galeazzo Maria Sforza
The Black Book of Hours of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, located in Vienna. It is in the field of book painting represents the height of luxury and is the most beautiful still preserved example of a specific category of books of hours, which as a powerful buffer state between Germany and France for a short time were in fashion at the court of Burgundy during the last years of the duchy.
Description
In black or grief - books of hours, the text was written in gold and silver letters on black or purple colored parchment leaves. In the Vienna copy the color acid has the parchment attacked in such that the leaves are individually preserved between glass. Nobody will be able to take this book back in my hand and use, as it was once intended.
The pages shown are from the Gospel extract, which is still at the beginning. The thumbnail on the left shows the four evangelists together in a long room sitting, the walls are indeed represented in false perspective, but still give the impression of spaciousness and depth. They are shown at the tips of their feathers or writing on their knees, their utensils are spread out on the table in the foreground.
On the start page of text the first words of John's Gospel, " In principio erat verbum. - In the beginning was the Word ", with a large, flower-shaped initial. Laterally John is represented on the island of Patmos, below is the pictorial representation of a Flemish proverb.
Performing artist
Only the most skilled artists were able to overcome the predetermined by the black color boundaries. This included the anonymous, as the " Master of Anthony of Burgundy " famous Flemish painter who illustrated this over-refined prayer book.
History
Charles the Bold, son of Philip the Good, reigned as the last Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. He has been a considerable number of books of hours, especially black, associated. The most beautiful must have been the one that the Swiss captured after the battle of Grandson in the famous robbery of Burgundy. It had been described as written in golden letters on a purple parchment and bound in crimson, gold-embroidered velvet. But it is not among the spoils now located in Bern. 1477 the book was available for purchase, but found no buyers. 1480 sent the city authorities to Pope Sixtus IV, but the book is not in the Vatican Library, one must assume that it is gone.
Times have survived two black books of hours, both now in Vienna. These are the Hours of Mary of Burgundy and the here discussed Black Prayer Book of Charles the Bold (after the last owner also Sforza Book of Hours referred to ). The question is how this book in the early, but short of Galeazzo Maria Sforza possession, Duke of Milan (1466-1476) came from.
If Karl this book Galeazzo Maria gave as a gift, so it did not stay long in Milan. 1494 married Galeazzo's daughter Bianca Maria the Archduke Maximilian of Austria, ruler of the Netherlands, who had been a widower since 1482 the death of his first wife Mary of Burgundy in the year. So the book came back to the North.