MS A6: Handheld Devotion
Dublin Core
Title
MS A6: Handheld Devotion
Description
Purchased by KU in 1955 and previously owned by Baron Charles Despines (1777-1852) of the Académie Florimontane of Savoie, MS A6 is a unique example of a late medieval Book of Hours. Small in size (110mm x 85mm), this hand-painted, and handbound manuscript was, from the very beginning, intended for personal, private use. This tiny book was meticulously crafted and used with great care by its owners in their daily devotional practice.
Source
MS A6
Publisher
Spencer Research Library Special Collections, University of Kansas
Date
mid-fifteenth century, binding late sixteenth century
Format
110 mm x 85 mm
Type
Book of Hours
Identifier
Spencer Research Library Special Collections, MS A6
Items in the MS A6: Handheld Devotion Collection
MS A6: Private and Portable
MS A6 nestles easily in the reader's hands, making it a very intimate object that would give a single reader at a time a view of the text and images. Its petite stature made it easily portable, furthering the opportunity for the manuscript’s owner…
MS A6: Navigating Illuminations
The seven illuminated pages in MS A6 are small, yet they contain a great amount of detail and are delicately painted. The marginalia and large initial details have analogies with the contemporary Vosper Hours in their margins filled with acanthus…
MS A6: Words of Worship
Filled with Psalms, prayers to the Virgin, Hours of the Passion, invocations of the saints and the clergy, and memorial services for the dead, the texts contained in Books of Hours put Christian worship into the hands of the laity. As a means of…
MS A6: Handheld Devotion
Purchased by KU in 1955 and previously owned by Baron Charles Despines (1777–1852) of the Académie Florimontane of Savoie, MS A6 is a unique example of a late-medieval Book of Hours. Small in size (110mm x 85mm), this handwritten, hand-painted,…
MS A6: Devotion Through Time
The calendar appears at the very beginning of a Book of Hours, preceding all prayers and other devotional texts. A calendar helps track feast days, or daily celebrations of saints, confessors, and important patrons or relics. Every calendar contains…