Item Info

Script: Gothic bookhand
Language: Latin; French (calendar and rubrics)
Folio Number: f. 167r
Source: Rare Book Department
Notes:

This miniature marks the beginning of the Hours of the Conception of the Virgin. The image depicts the moment Mary conceived the Christ-Child, represented by the rays of light coming from the figure of God in the upper left-hand corner and the representation of the baby in a mandorla painted over her womb. David appears in the scene as well, most likely as a reference to Christ's ancestry and to the prophecy that claimed he would come from the line of David.

This book of hours was most likely made in the Flemish town of Mons, in the province of Hainaut, as the calendar includes feast days for saints particular to Mons, including Waudru, a saint from the town and for whom the monastery in Mons was dedicated, her sister St. Aldegund, and her husband St. Vincent. Special prayers to Waudru and Vincent are also included.

Notes: Mary conceiving the Christ-Child
Notes: This manuscript can be dated to ca. 1460-1470.
Sirsi Catalog Key: 1606295
Country: Country:Flanders
City/Town/Township:Hainault

Creation Year (Single Year or Range Begin): 1475
Image Dimensions Width: 210 mm
ShelfMark: Lewis E 104