Books of Hours Explained

Books of Hours have been described as medieval bestsellers, precious family heirlooms and devotional objects. In the Fragments of Devotion exhibition, many of the images featured are taken from this type of manuscript. But what exactly are they? Books of Hours are a form of Christian prayer book from the late Middle Ages, designed to assist families or individuals in their devotional practice. They were by far the most widely produced and used type of illuminated medieval manuscript of their time.

Introductory Video

Video Transcript

Books of Hours Explained

By Ruby Graham

Books of Hours have been described as medieval bestsellers, precious family heirlooms and devotional objects, but what exactly are they? In our exhibition ‘Fragments of Devotion’, many of the images featured are taken from this type of manuscript. Books of Hours were a form of Christian prayer book from the late Middle Ages, designed to assist families or individuals in their devotional practice. They were by far the most widely produced and used type of illuminated medieval manuscript of their time.

Many Books of Hours included beautifully detailed hand-drawn and painted images, making them very expensive and only accessible to the wealthy. Despite being so popular, there was not a ‘one size fits all’ approach – with each Book of Hours being unique and often tailored to the specific person or family for whom it was commissioned.

Each book begins with a calendar, which lists feast days celebrating different saints – which could include local or name saints of the family or owner and important moments from the life of the Virgin Mary. These days often appear colour coded to indicate importance, with expensive gold leaf being used for the most significant feasts. The marginal decoration in these sections typically features zodiac animals or seasonal labour activities.  

A standard element of any Book of Hours was the Hours of the Virgin. Consisting of series of prayers and psalms meant to be recited at eight intervals during the day, it celebrated significant moments in the life of the Virgin Mary, who was especially venerated during the medieval period. Beyond this section, Books of Hours could vary in content, sometimes with such additions as gospel lessons from the four evangelists or memorials to particular saints. The back of the book often included the Office of the Dead, which was read for the deceased to free their souls from purgatory. The imagery in this section frequently features scenes of burials and skeletons, to remind the reader of their own mortality.

Often being the only book in a household, a Book of Hours was treasured, passed down and personalised. The traces of interventions can be seen in additional stitched-in pages, handwritten names and annotations. In the Barber’s 15h-century Book of Hours, owned by Cardinal Domenico Della Rovere, we can see examples of personalisation through the addition of a coat of arms and a family tree.

To demonstrate a commitment to their faith, some patrons chose to commission portraits to be included in their manuscripts. This example from our 14th-century Metz Book of Hours, shows a male and female patron, kneeling before the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. The scrolls next to their heads act as speech bubbles, showing them reciting their chosen prayers. The opposite page depicts four female saints, likely chosen to evoke certain protections. Saint Margaret for example would often be evoked for safe childbirth. Alongside her we can see Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Barbara and Saint Agnes. Women actively participated in the development of Books of Hours in many ways, including commissioning them to be made and passing them down as family heirlooms. Our Metz example was likely created to celebrate a union, possibly between these two figures.

Today, thousands of these objects are housed in libraries and museums, in their entireties and as fragments. They are among the most widespread class of object to survive medieval Europe, demonstrating the complexities and multisensory aspects of devotion in this period. With no two being alike, they provide insights into the daily lives of medieval people and a fascinating window into the past.  

Many Books of Hours included beautifully detailed painted images, making them very expensive and only accessible to the wealthy. Despite being so popular, there was not a ‘one size fits all’ approach; each manuscript Book of Hours is unique and was often tailored to the specific person or family for whom it was commissioned. Their popularity endured beyond the advent of printing in the late fifteenth century, with the possibility of mechanically produced woodcut or metalcut (if still hand-coloured) images enabling a broader section of society to own Books of Hours (see V&A No. 8123:1).

Books of Hours usually begin with a calendar which lists feast days celebrating different saints; these could include local saints or patron saints of the family or owner, and important moments from the life of the Virgin Mary.

These days often appear colour coded to indicate importance, with expensive gold leaf being used for the most significant feasts.

The marginal decoration in these sections typically features zodiac animals or seasonal labour activities.

A standard element of any Book of Hours was the Hours of the Virgin. Consisting of series of prayers and psalms meant to be recited at eight intervals during the day, it celebrated significant moments in the life of the Virgin Mary, who was especially venerated during the medieval period. Beyond this section, Books of Hours could vary in content, sometimes with such additions as gospel lessons from the four evangelists or memorials to particular saints. Towards the end of the book was often the Office of the Dead, which was read for the deceased to free their souls from purgatory. The imagery in this section frequently features scenes of burials and skeletons, to remind the reader of their own mortality.

Often being the only book in a household, a Book of Hours was treasured, passed down and personalised.

The traces of interventions can be seen in additional stitched-in pages, handwritten names and annotations. In the Barber Institute’s late fifteenth-century Book of Hours, Use of Rome owned and presumably commissioned by Cardinal Domenico della Rovere (1442-1501), we can see examples of personalisation through the addition of his coat of arms (Fig. 2), personal mottoes (‘Soli deo’, ‘Adroit’) and a family tree of five generations of the male members of the della Rovere family (see Edit Post “Book of Hours, Use of Rome: Family Tree” ‹ Fragments of Devotion — WordPress)].

To demonstrate a commitment to their faith, some patrons chose to commission portraits to be included in their manuscripts. This example from the Barber Institute’s early fourteenth-century Book of Hours, Use of Metz shows a male and female patron kneeling before the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus (Fig. 3). The scrolls next to their heads act as speech bubbles, showing them reciting their chosen prayers. The opposite leaf depicts four female saints, likely chosen to invoke certain protections. Saint Margaret for example would often be invoked for safe childbirth. Alongside her we can see Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Barbara and Saint Agnes. Women actively participated in the development of Books of Hours in many ways, including commissioning them to be made and passing them down as family heirlooms. The Barber Institute’s Book of Hours was likely created to celebrate a union, possibly between these two figures, and most likely made for the bride given the presence of the female saints.

Ruby 2 metz patrons img 5148 — **Fig. 3**

Couronnement de la Vierge et Dormition — **Fig. 4**

It appears that this Book of Hours later passed to Nicolle de Métry (d. 1406/07), perhaps on the occasion of his Confirmation aged ten, referenced in an annotation (fol. 152); he later became an eminent figure in Metz society and local politics. It may then be his parents, Thiebault (d. 1375) and Blancheron (née Roillenat), who are represented before the Virgin. But elsewhere in the Book (fols 75v-76r), another image of what must have been the same two original patrons, kneeling in prayer opposite a full-page miniature of the Coronation of the Virgin, has been wilfully erased, along with their identifying coats of arms (Fig. 4). This would suggest that the Book may have passed to Nicolle as a second-hand item, for which there was also a market at this time, having been made originally for another, now unidentifiable, family.

Today, thousands of Books of Hours are housed in libraries and museums, in their entireties and as fragments. They are among the most widespread class of object to survive medieval Europe, demonstrating the complexities and multisensory aspects of devotion in this period. With no two being alike, they provide insights into the daily lives of medieval people and a fascinating window into the past.

Ruby Graham

Image List

Fig. 1 Book of Hours, Use of Metz, illuminated leaf, fol.2r: Calendar for the Month of February, about 1335-45. Pigments and gilding on vellum, 129 x 90 mm. Barber Institute of Fine Arts (No. 59.11)

Fig. 2 Book of Hours, Use of Rome, illuminated leaf, fol.1v: Coat of arms of Cardinal Domenico della Rovere (azure a cross counter-compony sable and or), about 1480. Pigments and gilding on vellum, 140 x 89 mm. Barber Institute of Fine Arts (No. 69.7)

Fig. 3 Book of Hours, Use of Metz, illuminated leaf, fol.14r: Virgin and Child with Patrons, about 1335-45. Pigments and gilding on vellum, 129 x 90 mm. Barber Institute of Fine Arts (No. 59.11)

Fig. 4 Book of Hours, Use of Metz, illuminated leaves, fols 75v-76r: Two patrons kneeling in prayer (traces lower left) opposite a miniature of the Coronation of the Virgin, about 1335-45. Pigments and gilding on vellum, 129 x 90 mm (each leaf). Barber Institute of Fine Arts (No. 59.11)

Books of Hours Explained

Introductory Video

Books of Hours Explained

Image List

Further Reading