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Special Collections’ newest acquisition!

L. Tom Perry Special Collections is excited to announce that we have just acquired an illuminated manuscript Book of Hours from the late 15th century.

Books of Hours were one of the most popular genres of books produced during the late Middle Ages and remained popular well into the Renaissance (Special Collections contains four examples of printed Books of Hours from the first half of the 16th century).  From the mid-thirteenth to the mid-sixteenth century, more Books of Hours were produced than any other text, including the Bible. They were most often owned by laypeople, and found a significant audience among women. The prayers, Psalms, and illustrations in illuminated Books of Hours were meant to link church and home, with lay owners using the books for private religious devotion.

Pictured here are some of the illuminations from BYU’s new Book of Hours, which was likely created in Paris during the final decade of the 15th century.  To find the Book of Hours, along with facsimiles of other manuscripts held by institutions throughout the world, search for the genre term “Books of hours” in the library’s catalog.  You can limit your search results to Special Collections holdings only.

 

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