The Hours of Philip the Bold is a late 14th-century illuminated book of hours produced in Paris for Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1363-1404). It contains illustrated calendars, figured initials and 11 large miniatures with ivy borders, following the Paris liturgy. The manuscript has a devotional use. Philip reportedly recited his daily prayers from this manuscript. His hours, which contains almost 200 images, is one of the most worldly manuscripts to survive from the library of the Burgundian Dukes. It is now MS. 3-1954 in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
History
Commission
Philip the Bold was the first of the four Valois Dukes of Burgundy. After inheriting territory from three generations of descendants, he controlled it from 1363 to 1404. Stylistic features of the manuscript show that it was made in Paris a few years after Philip became the Duke of Burgundy. The manuscript was largely produced in two stages. The first was commenced in 1376 by Philip the Bold and paid for in 1379, with a few supplementary texts and images added in 1390. Guillaume de Valen, Philip's confessor, left the production of the hours to artisans of the Parisian community who also worked for the Duke's brother, King Charles V of France. Manuscripts created by artisans rather than monks became a common model of manuscript production by the late medieval period. A second stage of the hours were completed in 1451 by Flemish artists for Philip's grandson and heir, Philip the Good (1419–67).
Artists
Artists involved in the creation of the hours include Master of the Bible of Jean de Sy (fr), Master of the Grandes Heures, Master of the Throne of Mercy, Master of the Coronation Book of Charles V with assistance from Willem Vrelant, , Dreux Jean (fr) and others. Flemish artist Alexander Bening is thought to have contributed to the hours in the fifteenth century. He was the first artist to illustrate borders with realistic depictions of flowers, jewels, and animals. Two artists are responsible for the miniatures of Philip's prayerbook. Eric Millar identified the likely artist who painted the calendar scenes and ten of the eleven large miniatures as the Boquetaux Master. However, another artist, possibly a close follower of the Boquetaux Master's circle, is also speculated to have painted the calendar scenes and ten of the eleven large miniatures. The second artist of the manuscript is less skillful, but they come from the same workshop. The Boquetaux Master's name derives from the grouped parasol-like trees which are a prominent element of his work. His bas-de-pages which consist of quadrilobed frames around the miniatures and little scenes painted at the bottom of the page are also distinguishable features of his work. The Annunciation to the Shepherds miniature displays examples of the Boquetaux Master's little spinneys or small thickets.
Provenance
In 1404, the Hours of Philip the Bold, a book of additional prayers and texts, and Philip's entire library were passed to his heir, John the Fearless. After John's assassination in 1419, the two books were given to the young Philip the Good, the third duke of Burgundy. After 1419, many changes were made to the first volume as it was altered for John's widow, Margaret of Bavaria, and later for her son Philip the Good. By 1450, Philip the Good had rebound the large manuscript in two volumes; the first held by Fitzwilliam Museum, has all 150 images of Philip the Bold's commission with seventeen illuminations from the 15th century. It is likely that this volume, which contained the earlier part of the text was separated from the ducal collection as a result of Philip the Good's death. This volume was not acquired until four centuries later by an English collector. The second volume held in Brussels (Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, MS 11035-37) consists only of 15th-century images.
Devotional Use
This prayerbook connects to Paris not only artistically, but devotionally. The text and miniatures refer to the holy relics held within the Sainte-Chapelle which was constructed by St. Louis. In Mémoir de la couronne on f. 226, a man assumed to be Philip and dressed in a pink robe and kneels under gold curtains in front of an altar which displays the Crown of Thorns and head reliquaries of a bishop and king. The devotional connection to the Crown of Thorns, the True Cross, and other relics kept in Sainte-Chapelle is established by the series of Memorie or Suffrages which starts on f. 226 . Devotees would use the manuscript to pray to Mary and the saints as if they were mediators, therefore, the manuscript itself acted as an indirect shrine.