Horae Beatae Mariae ad usum Romanum (Latin Edition)

Books of Hours, prayer books for private devotion, are the most common of medieval illuminated manuscripts. Volumes of such superb quality as this example (from The Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection at the Library of Congress) are rare. Some of the finest works of art of the late Middle Ages are found among manuscripts, and this Book of Hours is a particularly exceptional example of the form. The tiny pictures are painted with astonishing dexterity. Whole silent worlds are contained within a few square inches, in compositions of infinite poise and harmony of color; every detail is exquisite, from pebbles in dusty foregrounds to fantastic buildings in the distance. It must surely have been painted under magnification and certainly with the expectation that it would be viewed by enlargement.

Commentary by Christopher de Hamel, essay on illuminated manuscripts, searchable English translation and Latin live text.