Book of Hours: Stunningly illustrated 545-year-old book goes on display in Leeds

A stunning 545-year-old book filled with beautifully illustrated tips that show how people organised their lives has gone on display in Leeds.

Penned in around 1480 and inscribed on delicate vellum, the Horae beatae Mariae Virginis, or Book of Hours, contains 46 vividly illuminated images depicting various duties to be carried out each month along with the signs of the zodiac.

A devotional book which first became popular in the 13th century among wealthy classes, it was designed to help individuals keep up with a rigorous schedule of tasks and prayers while at home.

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The work went on display at Leeds Central Library earlier this month, along with a selection of historical calendars and almanacs from the library’s collection.

Alex Brummitt is pictured with the  stunning 540-year-old manuscript filled with beautifully illustrated tips on how to stay on the right track throughout the year is going on display in Leeds. Picture taken by Yorkshire Post Photographer Simon Hulme 6th January 2025Alex Brummitt is pictured with the  stunning 540-year-old manuscript filled with beautifully illustrated tips on how to stay on the right track throughout the year is going on display in Leeds. Picture taken by Yorkshire Post Photographer Simon Hulme 6th January 2025
Alex Brummitt is pictured with the stunning 540-year-old manuscript filled with beautifully illustrated tips on how to stay on the right track throughout the year is going on display in Leeds. Picture taken by Yorkshire Post Photographer Simon Hulme 6th January 2025

Rhian Isaac, the special collections librarian at Leeds Central Library, said: “The Book of Hours is one of the most beautiful books in our whole collection, with the colours and intricate details still vivid after hundreds of years of reading.

“Early books of hours would be owned or commissioned for nobility and royalty but a shift towards personal devotion, increased literacy and the manufacturing by professional scribes led to a growth in popularity and more people being able to have their own copy.

"They still would have been very expensive and beyond the reach of most people at the time.

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“While our priorities and how we structure our lives may have changed, it’s interesting to reflect on how people in the medieval period looked to develop their own routines and organise their daily lives.”

The library’s copy of The Book of Hours was donated in in 1929 by Beryl Gott, who also bequeathed the botanical collection that bears her family name. This particular manuscript was most likely produced in Paris in around 1480, possibly by a family run businesses.

Creating each book was a painstaking process, which involved one worker marking out the lines and another writing the text whilst a third draw would do the miniatures and yet another would apply the delicate gold leaf to each page.

The use of Books of Hours was particularly popular in the Middle Ages, and as a result, they are the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript.

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Each Book of Hours is unique in one way or another, but most contain a similar collection of texts, prayers and psalms, often with appropriate decorations, for Christian devotion.

Councillor Mary Harland, Leeds Council’s executive member for communities, customer service and community safety, said: “Our libraries contain some truly remarkable literary treasures which capture centuries of creativity and ingenuity.

“We’re extremely fortunate that we’re able to display some of these books to the public and to give them some insight into so many years of writing and storytelling.”

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