The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 23, 2024

Leaf from a Book of Hours: St. Barbara (6 of 6 Excised Leaves)

Leaf from a Book of Hours: St. Barbara (6 of 6 Excised Leaves)

c. 1420–30
(French)
France, Metz, 15th century
ink, tempera, silver, and gold on vellum
Leaf: 16.1 x 12.4 cm (6 5/16 x 4 7/8 in.)
The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection 2011.57
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Ranging from lavishly decorated by hand with gold leaf to printed on paper with no images, books of hours were customizable and could be highly personalized to an individual’s tastes, budget, and interests.

Description

This leaf survives from what must have been an extraordinarily rich book of hours. The elaborate Passion cycle and Suffrages point to an important commission. Evidence within the calendar and texts suggests that Metz was probably the place of production. Situated on the Moselle River, Metz was the cultural and commercial capital of Lorraine during the 1400s, as well as the location of an important bishopric. It was thus the center of a growing book trade. The illuminations appear to come from the workshop of Henri d'Orquevaulx, a documented Metz manuscript painter. Compositionally, structurally, and stylistically, the miniatures suggest strong links to Netherlandish illumination. Details such as the tub, ewer, towel, and fireplace in the Nativity are typical of the northern love of crowded and unusual compositions, as well as domestic details. It is not known whether d'Orquevaulx came originally from the Netherlands or whether he simply worked or trained there at some point in his career.
  • before 1539 - after 1541
    Jehan de Poncy (d. 1605) and his wife, Marguerite
    Bartlett Gurney (1756-1803), Norwich, England, bequeathed to his aunt Catherine Gurney
    -1808
    Catherine Gurney (1776–1850), Norwich, England, gifted to Rev. Edward Edwards
    1808-
    Rev. Edward Edwards (1766-1849), Lynn, Norfolk, bequeathed to his godson William Hay Gurney, nephew of Catherine Gurney
    William Hay Gurney (1827-1898), North Princeton
    April 7, 1978
    Sale: Christie's New York, April 7, 1978, Lot 226
    [Bruce Ferrini (1950-2010), Akron, OH, sold to Jeanne Miles Blackburn]
    -2011
    Ms. Jeanne Miles Blackburn, Maitland, Fl, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2011-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Christie, Manson & Woods International Inc. Printed Books and Manuscripts Including an Important Manuscript Map of Southeastern North America, 1721. 1978. Lot 226
    Fliegel, Stephen N. The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection of Manuscript Illuminations. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999. Mentioned: p. 37; Reproduced: p. 42, cat. no. 38 archive.org
  • The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection of Manuscript Illuminations. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 19, 1999-February 27, 2000).
    CMA, 19 December 1999 - 27 February 2000, The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection of Manuscript Illuminations, cat. 38, illus. p. 42.
  • {{cite web|title=Leaf from a Book of Hours: St. Barbara (6 of 6 Excised Leaves)|url=false|author=Henri d'Orquevaulx, Workshop|year=c. 1420–30|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2011.57