“ Black horologue ” - horologik , received its name from the color of the pages. One of the few remaining handwritten books with black pages. Created around 1475 in Bruges by the artist from the environment of . Probably made to order one of the courtiers of the Duke of Burgundy . Currently located in the Morgan Library in New York (inventory number M. 493).
Content
Description
The Black Horology of the Morgan Library is one of the seven remaining manuscripts, the pages of which were colored with soot or solutions of copper and iron compounds as a result of a complex process. All known black pages manuscripts come from the Flemish workshops and date back to the second half of the 15th century.
The Black Hierarchy is 17 x 12 cm in size, it has 121 sheets with text, 14 full page miniatures, 15 large and many small initials and 138 decorative borders. The text is made in gold and silver ink, the background of the initials is emerald green. Gold leaf, lead white and opaque paints were used in illuminating the manuscript. Borders are painted in gold on a blue background. The black background of the pages favorably emphasizes on the whole a very limited color gamut [1] .
Artist
The anonymous miniaturist of the “Black Horology”, the style of which clearly indicates that he was part of the circle of Willem Vrelant, one of the leading masters of the book miniature who worked in Bruges, was named after the . About the other manuscripts made by this artist is unknown.
Customer
For whom the Black Horologion was performed is unknown. In the book there is no image of the coat of arms of its owner, one can only assume that the manuscript customer was one of the courtiers of the Duke Charles the Bold.
Preservation
The book is fairly well preserved, but in some places there is a peeling of black paint. The library website reports on the upcoming restoration of the manuscript [1] .
Other Black Horology
There are six more well-preserved hierarchies of the black-ledors, a special category of hierarchies popular at the court of the last dukes of Burgundy, among them:
- The Black Watchmen of Charles the Bold ( Austrian National Library , Vienna , Cod. 1856)
- The (Austrian National Library, Vienna, Cod. 1857)
Facsimile Edition
- Schwarzes Stundenbuch. Faksimile-Ausgabe von Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, M. 493 durch den Faksimile Verlag Luzern, Luzern 2001
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 The Morgan Library & Museum. The Black Hours . The date of circulation is July 25, 2012. Archived September 29, 2012.
Literature
- Bousmanne B. ua Schwarzes Stundenbuch. Wissenschaftlicher Kommentarband zur Faksimile-Ausgabe von Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, M. 493. - Luzern, 2001.
- Walther IF, Wolf N. Codices illustres. Die schönsten illuminierten Handschriften der Welt. 400 bis 1600. - Köln ua: Taschen, 2005. - S. 372-373. - (Meisterwerke der Buchmalerei). - ISBN 3-8228-4747-X .
- Jahrbuch der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. 2005/2006. - Düsseldorf: Heinrich-Heine-Universität, 2006. - S. 650. - (Meisterwerke der Buchmalerei). - ISBN 3-9808514-4-3 .