[Facsimile] Les Tres Belles Heures de Notre-Dame du Duc de Berry (and the Commentary Volume)

Luzern, Switzerland: Faksimile Verlag, 1992. Hardcover. Near Fine. Limited to 980 copies. unpaginated [132 leaves]; 255 pp. Quarto. Hardcover, red leather binding, spine with six raised bands, boards and spine elaborately gilt decorated and embossed. Spine slightly sunned, all edges trimmed and gilt, sheets are thoughtfully arranged to simulate a deckled appearance. Dentelles lavishly decorated with gilt patterns. Printed marbled endpapers, lat. number printed on the front paste-down. Including 25 full page illustrations, heightened with gilt, colourful decorations and initials throughout the text. Copy #705 of limited 980 copies. Commentary volume with half leather spine, boards covered with blue stiff paper. Gilt letters and gilt ruling on the leather. Both volumes housed in an acrylic glass slipcase with a 3 inch crack on one side. Otherwise the set is in excellent condition. The brilliant illuminated manuscript of the Duke of Berry, known as 'Très Belles Heures,' stands as one of the most magnificent Books of Hours, marking a high point in medieval illumination. Created at the beginning of the 15th century by the most gifted artists of the time, this manuscript showcases astonishing effort in both text and image decoration. Lavish gold and colors of unheard-of luminosity are employed to depict scenes narrating the story of late medieval religious and profane life in powerful images. Each of the miniature pages comprises three elements: a large, panel-like miniature; a magnificent initial; and a figurative scene at the bottom edge of the page. Together, these elements create a coherent impression of the highest design quality. In their original form, the 'Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame' constituted one of the most monumental manuscript concepts in art history. Owing to its beauty and luxurious, elaborate furnishings, the work was already valued as an art and collector's item in the Middle Ages. 1992