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Spinola Hours

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The Spinola Hours is a illuminated manuscript book of hours of about 1510-1520, consisting of 312 folios, over 80 of which are mainly decorated with miniature paintings. It was produced in the region between Bruges and Ghent in Flanders around 1510-1520. According to Thomas Kren, a former curator of the J. Paul Getty Museum, the miniatures within the Spinola Hours can be attributed to five distinct artists. Forty-seven of these illuminated pages can be attributed to the 'Master of James IV'. Since 1883 it has been in the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, catalogued as Ms. Ludwig IX 18 (83.ML.114).[1]

Spinola Book of Hours
The Holy Trinity Enthroned, fol. 10v.
ArtistMaster of James IV of Scotland
Master of the Old Prayerbook of Maximilian I
Master of the Lübeck Bible
Master of the Dresden Prayerbook
Master of the c. 1500 Prayerbook
Yearc.1510–1520
MediumTempera colors, gold, and ink on parchment
Dimensions23.5 cm × 16.51 cm (9.3 in × 6.50 in)
LocationJ. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Provenance

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The identity of the specific patron is still unknown. Margaret of Austria, daughter of Mary of Burgundy and Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands from 1507 to 1515, is one possibility, as some of the artists had worked for this major patron.[2] Also the binding is similar to that of the Tres Riches Heures, which many scholars believe to have once belonged to her. In addition, Gerard Hourenbout, a court artist who illuminated the Sforza Hours and served under Margaret of Austria, was associated with the Master of James IV.[3][4]

Christiane Van den Bergen-Pantens suggested in 2000 that a coat-of-arms on f. 185 may be those of the Boussoit family (Bouswa in Dutch).[5]

The 18th-century leather binding of the Spinola Hours has a central coat-of-arms indicating it then belonged to the Spinola family of Genoa,[6] whose name it has retained.[7] Ambrogio Spinola was the highly successful Captain-General of the Army of Flanders for the Spanish Habsburgs from 1603 to 1629, which might explain how it passed to them.

The dealer Hans P. Kraus acquired the Spinola Hours from a private collection by auction at Sotheby's on July 5, 1976, for £370,000. In 1983, Dr. Peter Ludwig (1925-1996) and his wife Irene Ludwig (1927-2010) of Aachan and Cologne, chocolate billionaires and art collectors, purchased the Spinola Hours from H.P Kraus. Later that same year, the entire Ludwig collection was sold en bloc to the new J. Paul Getty Museum.[8]

Attributions

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Christ before Caiaphas by the Master of the Dresden Prayerbook

There were five distinct artists of the Spinola Hours, as described by Thomas Kren and his colleagues. The first is the Master of James IV, a painter named from his participation in the Hours of James IV of Scotland located in Vienna. He alone is credited for forty-seven of the illuminated pages. The other four artists are likely to have worked under him. 'Master of the First Prayerbook of Maximilian' is credited with twenty-four miniatures, eight were credited to the 'Master of the Lübeck Bible', three to the 'Master of the Dresden Prayerbook', and two to the 'Master of the Prayer Books of around 1500'. No signs of collaboration on individual illuminations were identified in this manuscript.[9]

Description

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Materials and appearance

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The Spinola Hours is larger than many other Books of Hours, consisting of ink on parchment with tempera colors and gold leaf. The manuscript is bound in eighteenth-century dark red leather with a gold floral border on both front and back covers. In the center of each cover is the coat-of-arms of the Spinola family of Genoa. (Both the Spinola Hours and the Tres Riches Heures share a nearly identical central coat-of-arms, but there is no connection between the two). The first three-quarters of the Spinola Hours reflect visible artistic consistency; however, anomalies in the gatherings and inconsistencies in border size start to appear closer towards the end of the book.[10] Notably, the type of script used throughout the Spinola Hours is Gothic. Both red and gold coloring would be used to emphasize a particular text.

Illuminations

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Style

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Each of the five artists can be identified by specific folios and style choices. The first 14 illuminated miniatures, or The Weekday Hours were painted by the Master of James IV. Many of the borders and decor surrounding the miniatures can be credited to him as well; these borders acted as the base example for the other four artists.[citation needed]

The Master of the First Prayerbook of Maximilian made the second largest contribution to the miniatures in the book, creating twenty-four. Thomas Kren sorts his figures into two categories, the first set of figures are identified as primarily female saints. There were more distinct pink tones in the skin, large broad heads, and exhibited no gray undertones often found in his illuminations. The second set is made up of primarily male saints and includes Evangelist portraits, The Last Judgement (fol. 165v), Saint John the Baptist Preaching (fol. 276v), as well as the illustrations to various accessory texts.[11]

The Master of Dresden painted openings for lauds and prime (fols. 119v-120) of the Hours of the Virgin. The Mocking of Christ in the border surrounding Christ before Caiaphas is also attributed to him.

 
The Annunciation (Fol. 92v) by Master of James IV

Master of the Lübeck Bible is most known for his distinctive figures, as they were smaller in comparison to other figures done by the other artists. The faces, while still expressive, are less detailed and shown to be in a loose technique.

The Master of the Prayer Books of around 1500, his pair of miniatures (fols. 125–126) is known for its landscapes, notably echoing the style of 'The Adoration of the Shepherds.[11]

Some of the borders framing the text-heavy folios imitate carved wood or textiles. The borders were often decorated with organic forms that included a variety of flowers, berries, insects, and other earthly elements. This particular style is loosely known as the 'Ghent-Bruges' style.[citation needed]

The Annunciation

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The Hours of the Virgin Mary is a principal text in the Spinola Hours; unlike many other book of hours where the leading text is presented during the beginning, it does not begin until a third of the way into the book. The Annunciation (fol. 92v) illustrated by the Master of James IV, showcases a framed panel in a special red text "incipiu[n]t hore beate marie virginis secundu[m] usu[m] Romanu[m]. Ad matutin[as]", 'Beginning the Hours of the Blessed Virgin Mary, according to the usage of Rome. Matins'.

Holy Trinity Enthroned

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The Holy Trinity Enthroned (fol.10v) is one of the earliest fully painted illustrations featured in the Spinola Hours by the Master of James IV. Each of the three figures is distinguishable from the waist up but share only one robe, this symbolism is part of the early Christian belief that Trinity is made up of three persons and one substance. Red encased text identifies the following text as the prayer of Matins of the Hours of the Holy Trinity, naturally to be read on Sunday. The black text begins with a line from Psalm 50: "Domine labia mea aperies", 'Lord, open my lips'.[12]

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Notes

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  1. ^ Getty
  2. ^ Getty
  3. ^ Kren, Thomas; McKendrick, Scot (2003-07-01). Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe. Getty Publications. p. 416. ISBN 978-0-89236-704-7.
  4. ^ De Hamel, Christopher (2016). Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts. UK: Penguin Books. pp. 553–560. ISBN 978-0-241-00304-6.
  5. ^ Getty
  6. ^ Getty
  7. ^ De Hamel, Christopher (2016). Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts. UK: Penguin Books. p. 551. ISBN 978-0-241-00304-6.
  8. ^ De Hamel, Christopher (2016). Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts. UK: Penguin Books. p. 517. ISBN 978-0-241-00304-6.
  9. ^ De Hamel, Christopher (2016). Meetings With Remarkable Manuscripts. UK: Penguin Books. pp. 545–550. ISBN 9780241003046.
  10. ^ Kren, Thomas; McKendrick, Scot (2003-07-01). Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe. Getty Publications. p. 417. ISBN 978-0-89236-704-7.
  11. ^ a b Kren, Thomas; McKendrick, Scot (2003-07-01). Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe. Getty Publications. pp. 414–415. ISBN 978-0-89236-704-7.
  12. ^ "The Holy Trinity Enthroned (Getty Museum)". The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles. Retrieved 2020-05-08.

References

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  • "Getty": "Spinola Hours Catalogue page".
  • Scot McKendrick and Thomas Kren, Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe, Los Angeles, Getty Publications, 2003, 591 p. (ISBN 978-0-89236-704-7, p. 414-417 (item 124)
  • Thomas Kren, Elizabeth C. Teviotdale, Adam S. Cohen, Kurtis Barstow, Masterpieces of the J. Paul Getty Museum: Illuminated Manuscripts, Getty Publications, 1997, 128 p. (ISBN 9780892364466), p. 117 (notice 50)
  • Christopher De Hamel, Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts: Twelve Journeys into the Medieval World, London, Allen Lane, 2016, 640 p. (ISBN 978-0241003046), p. 508-558.
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