Book of hours of Peter II, Duke of Brittany
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The Book of Hours of Peter II, Duke of Brittany, draws attention mainly because of the various prayers and memoranda written in French , which are particularly included in the calendar and at the end. On the last page there is an appeal that this book of hours belongs to the Duke and that everyone who finds it and returns it will receive a reward .
description
- Liturgy of Nantes . France , Paris , completed 1455–1457. 19 × 13 cm, 177ff.
- 50 miniatures , vignettes in the borders .
- Bibliothèque nationale , Paris, ms. lat. 1159
Peter II was Duke of Brittany during the final phase of the Hundred Years War , in which he played an important role in events that led to the final expulsion of the English from every corner of France with the exception of Calais .
In the picture opposite, he appears kneeling under a corresponding canopy in full ducal outfit with a crown and a red cloak trimmed with hermelin . A closed book of hours lies on the prayer chair in front of him. Instead of reading it, Peter looks up at a vision of God the Father surrounded by cherubims , who is blessing him. As in Isabella Stuart's Book of Hours , the Breton ermine coat of arms held by angels is eye-catching in the border. The artist of this portrait has emphasized the fact that it the entire heraldic equipment with lion and gripping as sign holders , tournament shield, helmet, helmet cover and crest added.
This portrait page with all their heraldic pageantry is the beginning of a prayer sequence before Marienoffizium inserted. In one of these prayers, written in French, Peter thanks God for giving him the Duchy of Brittany , which he is not worthy of. He closes by asking that the goodness of God help him rule for the salvation of his soul and for the benefit of his subjects.
The second page is from the intercessory prayers, showing the Archangel Michael in the fight with the devil . a scroll derived from a passage from the Apocalypse : “A battle broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels rose to fight the dragon ”( Rev 12,7 EU ). What is particularly interesting about this page is the topography . In the lower left corner is a view of Mont Saint-Michel with pilgrims arriving on foot, on horseback, and on a large-wheeled cart, such as is still used to cross the sand at low tide .
Peter de Montfort
Peter de Montfort was the second son of John V of Brittany and brother of Francis I , whose successor as Duke he became in 1450. So Isabella Stuart became his sister-in-law. The main events of his brief reign (1450-1457) were the end of the Hundred Years War and the canonization of Vincent Ferrer . There are profound allusions to both events in this book.
In the conflict between England, France and Brittany, Francis I made his brother Peter lieutenant general of the duchy with the task of retaking the lost city of Fougères . During the siege , Peter did a good job. On November 4th, 1449 the Breton soldiers invaded the very destroyed city, the inhabitants of which were exposed to terrible atrocities by the English.
The Dominican preacher Vincent, who moved huge crowds in outdoor gatherings by relentless descriptions of the Last Judgment , was canonized on June 29, 1455 through the efforts of three Breton dukes ( John V , Francis I and Peter II) . He was known and feared for his missionary work with Jews , as well as against Cathars and Waldensians . His early veneration was justified by the fact that there were beginnings of Cathar and Waldensian movements, which one wanted to ward off by the representation of this saint. The inclusion of this new saint in the intercessory prayers of the Book of Hours of Peter II indicates that this manuscript must have been completed some time after 1455, during the last two years of the Duke's life. Peter left the land rich and in peace when he died in September 1457. There was a joke that his peasants ate from silver plates, and that the rich merchants in the ports slept in silver beds .
literature
- The book of hours of Peter II, Duke of Brittany. In: John Harthan: Books of hours and their owners. German translation by Regine Klett. Herder, Freiburg (Breisgau) et al. 1977, ISBN 3-451-17907-5 , pp. 118-121.