THE MIDDLE AGES’ GREATEST ARTISTS.

The 47 miniatures from the hands of Jean Fouquet – originally forming a complete book of hours – were recognised very early as one of the greatest masterpieces of occidental book illumination. This is presumeably the reason why it was dismembered. Only single pages with miniatures have been preserved. The Hours of Étienne Chevalier are mainly kept in Chantilly Castle in France, seven other libraries and museums do have folios.

Windows into Distant Worlds.



Unique insights into our past: explore the world of the Middle Ages, a society strangely different from ours - fascinating in its clear structures and hierarchies, its definite values and attitudes. As different as it is – this is our own past and the foundation of our present.

Centuries ago, the best artists created masterpieces of indefinite value, incomparably vivid and highlighted with shining gold. These captivating images are vibrant windows into our own past. With the Unique Library, you can exclusively experience this world – as intended by the artists hundreds of years ago.

The Bedford Hours - one of its many famous miniatures is Noah’s Ark (fol. 16v). This most precious medieval Book of Hours and a crowning achievement of Parisian book painting, this manuscript originates from the early 15th Century. The elaborate decoration, the understanding of perspectives and their depiction, and the expressive mimicry of the people portrayed are all proof of the incredible innovational energy of the „Bedford Masters“. The manuscript is today kept in the British Library under the shelfmark Ms. Add. 18850.

Glowing Colours of the Middle Ages.



Brilliant colours and radiant gold or silver, bonded to paper with the most advanced technical methods, show the same characteristics as the original; every page is border-cut true to the original. But also holes in the original’s parchment or paper, exfoliations or remarks attached during the manuscript’s living history as well as faults have to be included.

The Hours of the Flemish Masters are kept in the Cleveland Museum of Art, shelfmark MS 21/63.256. The manuscript originates from the workshops of the most famous painters of the Ghent-Bruges school, and was made for Queen Isabella I of Castile, a great admirer of Flemish book art.