Book of hours of Maria d'Harcourt
The Book of Hours of Maria d'Harcourt, also known as Maria von Geldern , Duchess of funds and Jülich , countess of Zutphen is both artistically and historically one of the scientists challenging handwriting , the poor state of preservation makes it difficult to study. In a portrait that combines aristocratic manners and mystical equality with the Virgin Mary , she left a portrait of herself as the ideal type of the great lady with her book of hours.
description
- Liturgy of Rome . German-Dutch border region, Geldern . 1415. 13 × 19 cm, 482 ff.
- 6 full-page and 86 smaller miniatures with stylized Efeulaub - Borders .
At a very early point in its history, the manuscript, which was created in 1415 in Marienborn Abbey near Arnhem, was divided. In the 17th century part of it was owned by the Electors of Brandenburg and is now in the manuscript department of the Berlin State Library , Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation under the signature ms. germ. quart. 42. The second part was owned by the Habsburgs and is now in the Austrian National Library in Vienna under the shelfmark Cod. 1908. The two parts were shown together in the exhibition “European Art around 1400” in Vienna 1962 and described in the catalog (No. 207-208, pp. 217-218).
The figure looks like a picture about Gothic fashion . An exquisitely dressed lady, whose train extends beyond the frame of the picture, is standing in a garden reading her book of hours, which an angel gives her. Only when you notice the rose-clad fence of the walled garden or hortus conclusus ( symbol of paradise ) and the presence of God in the arch at the top, who releases the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, you realize that this is an annunciation scene . A second angel carries a banner on which the German words “O milde Maria” can be read instead of the usual “Ave Maria gratia plena” .
It is unclear whether the elegant lady, dressed in the latest fashion, with a cap called a bourrelet instead of a halo represents the Virgin Mary or whether it is the owner of the prayer book as a personified Madonna .
Countess Maria d'Harcourt, Duchess of Geldern and Jülich
As the daughter of Johann VI. Born Count von Harcourt and Aumale and the Cathérine von Bourbon, Princess of France, she was married to Rainald IV , Duke of Geldern and Jülich on May 5, 1405 . Marie d'Harcourt was a niece in law of King Charles VI. of France and of Duke Ludwig von Orleans , who in 1401 became feudal lord of the Duke of Geldern-Jülich, her future husband. She was the maid of honor of the Duchess of Orléans, Valentina Visconti , daughter of Gian Galeazzo Visconti , Duke of Milan . Marie d'Harcourt brought a touch of the French way of life , customs and taste to the Lower Rhine. The Annunciation page in her book of hours is so French in its appearance and stands in such a striking contrast to the other miniatures in this German-Dutch manuscript that it was intended to be inserted. But it is not just a nostalgic memory of their homeland. Her political role and the generation of heirs in confirmation of Geldern's support for Orléans were tacit conditions of her marriage; a large part of her dowry , about 30,000 écus , had also been paid by the Duke of Orléans on condition that it had to be repaid in the absence of male heirs. Maria von Geldern died childless after 1427, the exact date of her death and the place of her burial are not known.
Other women without sons requested the help of Mary and appropriate saints in their books of hours, e. B. Marguerite de Foix and Anna of Brittany . Maria von Geldern went one step further when she identified herself directly with the Blessed Mother.
Executive artist
In the vigil of the feast of St. Matthew is recorded that the manuscript, the text of which is written in Low German, was completed for the Duchess of Geldern on February 23, 1415 in the Marienborn monastery (Arnhem) between Oosterbeek and Arnhem by Brother Helmich de Leev.
literature
- Karl Keller: Two books of hours from the Geldrian ducal house, the book of hours of Duchess Maria and that of her husband. The historical foundations and the iconographic problems. Historical Association for Geldern and Surroundings, Geldern 1969 ( publication of the Historical Association for Geldern and Surroundings 68, ZDB -ID 400950-2 ).
- Book of hours of Maria von Geldern. In: John Harthan: Books of hours and their owners. German translation by Regine Klett. Herder, Freiburg (Breisgau) a. a. 1977, ISBN 3-451-17907-5 , pp. 78-81.
Individual evidence
- ^ Berlin State Library Prussian Cultural Heritage: Manuscripts. The beginnings
Web links
- Digitized version of the Berlin manuscript , joint offer by SBB PK and Radboud University
- Prayer book of Maria von Geldern in the manuscript census
- Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen : Project page on Maria von Geldern and her prayer book (accessed on March 17, 2018)