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Stockholm-Kassel
Book of Hours
before 1522
Courtesy
of the Royal Library, Stockholm

Gebetbuch
des Herzogs Johann Albrecht von Mecklenburg
(Prayerbook of Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg)
15671569
Miniatures
from Stockholm-Kassel Book of Hours
40 Ms. math. et art. 50
Courtesy of the University Library Kassel
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Stockholm-Kassel
Book of Hours
The von Mecklenburg Prayer Book
16th century
In
late medieval times, ‘Books of Hours’ contained
prayers for the canonical hours of the day, such
as Matins and Vespers. These books were often
gorgeously illuminated with gold or silver and
rich colours made from substances such as plant
extracts, cinnabar (a red mercury ore), malachite
and ultramarine (made from lapis lazuli). The
illustrations chiefly represented religious subjects
but also included scenes of daily life, or borders
with flowers, animals or mythical beasts.
Simon
Bening (14831561) was one of the most skilled
and famous illuminators of his time. Not all the
miniatures in the Stockholm Hours were
by Simon Bening, but the image of the 'Last Supper'
shown here can be firmly attributed to him. His
work is characterised by the small hands and rounded
heads of his figures, and, more importantly, by
his portrayal of emotion on their faces, his accurate
rendition of the texture of cloth and his skill
in representing perspective in landscape. These
qualities made his work very attractive and explains
why so many of his full-page miniatures were removed
from their original volumes. At some stage the
binding of the Stockholm-Kassel Book of Hours
was opened and many of the miniatures were removed.
Melchior
Pfinczing held a group of these until his death
in 1535, when they passed to Cardinal Albrecht
von Brandenburg and thence to his nephew, Herzog
Johann Albrecht von Mecklenburg. Between 1567
and 1569, von Mecklenburg had them bound with
some other miniatures by other artists. This composite
volume is known as the Gebetbuch des Herzogs
Johann Albrecht von Mecklenburg.
These
two volumes are particularly interesting. The
relationship between the two is clearly demonstrated
by the images shown here: one is from the Stockholm-Kassel
Book of Hours, and the other from the Gebetbuch
des Herzogs Johann Albrecht von Mecklenburg.
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