The Belles Heures of Jean, Duke of Berry, Prince of France (At the Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art) por Freeman, Margaret B.; Rorimer, James J - 1958

New York: At the Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1958. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Near Fine. 9x6x0. Includes publisher's slipcase and glassine jacket. Ink gift note on front endpaper, jacket and slipcase a bit toned. 1958 Hard Cover. Unpaginated. Introduction by James J. Rorimer. "The Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry, or Belles Heures of Jean de Berry (The Beautiful Hours) is an early 15th-century illuminated manuscript book of hours (containing prayers to be said by the faithful at each canonical hour of the day) commissioned by the French prince John, Duke of Berry (French: Jean, duc de Berry), around 1409, and made for his use in private prayer and especially devotions to the Virgin Mary. The Belles Heures is one of the most celebrated manuscripts of the Middle Ages and very few books of hours are as richly decorated as it. Although including all the elements that other books of hours contain, each section of the Belle Heures is customized to the personal wishes of its patron. Furthermore, the Belles Heures contains a series of story-like cycles that read like picture books. Along with the Très Riches Heures, which was also made for Jean, the Belles Heures ranks among the great masterpieces of the Middle Ages. The manuscript is now in The Cloisters in New York.