It was produced by Simon Bening and his workshop, possibly for Alonso de Idiaquez (died 1547), royal secretary to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

A total of 35 leaves are now in the Bavarian State Library in Munich, the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles) and a private collection.

The part held in Montserrat Abbey includes a 1578 inscription by the Spanish Inquisition guaranteeing that the work was not heretical.

The calendar pages and two other miniatures were rediscovered in Ferdinand Maria's collection in the 17th century, possibly acquired by him around 1660 from the painter Joseph Werner.

Other sheets were rediscovered over the course of the 20th century, with two miniatures from an English private collection bought in 1984 by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.