Rohan Hours
The full page illuminations are renowned for the highly emotional and dramatic portrayal of the agonies of Christ and the grief of the Virgin.
Whereas his great predecessors excelled in the description of the novel aspects of the natural world, he explored the realm of human feeling."
[2][3][4] An alternate theory suggests that The Hours was commissioned by the House of Rohan, as indicated by their arms shown on some of the pages (blazon: gules, in chief seven mascles d’or).
[2][3][4] Other scholars suggest that Yolande of Aragon commissioned this book of hours for her daughter, which is unlikely, because the Latin prayers have masculine endings.
Scholars assume that the Rohan Master headed a large, productive workshop that had the favor and patronage of the House of Anjou.
Meiss references altar panels that the Rohan Master had painted, proving he was more than an entrepreneur; he was a skilled painter of church art, as well as a dramatic miniaturist.
Meiss suggests that the Rohan Master came from the Netherlands, Germany, Provence, or Catalonia, the homeland of his patroness, Yolande.
The copied Bible moralisée illuminations in the margins were done rather quickly and imperfectly by two or three minor painters from the Rohan workshop.
In the early half of the 15th century, it was in the possession of Isabella Stuart, Duchess of Brittany (c. 1426–1494), who added her arms in the corners of folio 135r, left.
The Book of Hours allowed the lay reader to engage in an imitation of monastic devotion, without conforming to the more rigorous and severe aspects of cloistered life.
The abbreviated office was supplemented by a liturgical calendar, litanies and suffrages, special prayers to intercessors and selected psalms.
The contents of the Book of Hours range could be personalized to a great extent, depending on the financial resources of the owner.
Apart from their devotional use, in the 15th century, a finely-illuminated Book of Hours also has a secondary use as an indicator of its owner's wealth and/or social standing.
The Latin masculine or feminine endings used in these personal prayers can provide a clue to the gender of the original owner.
[2][8][9] At the beginning of each hour, the artists portrayed a standard cycle of illuminations, based on the life of the Virgin.
Supplementary texts were added to celebrate any personal patron, family saint, special circumstances, or a fortuitous event.
The Master's border decorations are delicate, foliate motifs reminiscent of the Anjou family's Bible moralisée.
The dark and dramatic tone of The Hours may reflect the tragic defeat of the French at Battle of Agincourt, 25 October 1415.
61), the Master unexpectedly depicts Christ, identified by the wounds of his Passion, as an aged man on a rainbow.
54), the coronation is not conducted by Christ, as was usually the case; rather, she is received by God the Father, while his angels honor her by reciting from the liturgy of the Feast of the Assumption.
The Master and his assistants did not take much interest in the developing depiction of three-dimensional space and naturalistic lighting found in most of the best quality manuscripts of this date.
Many seemingly plain blue backgrounds upon closer examination show a flurry of activity as a multitude of angels are discovered delicately traced in gold.
He portrays profound emotions by using intense colors, comparing motion with stasis, and contrasting lean and plump figures.
By contrasting beauty and joy with ugliness and pain, the Rohan Master creates a unique and dramatic spiritual art.
[4] The marginal Bible moralisée subject matter and treatment were based on a book in the possession of Yolande of Aragon, Duchess of Anjou.
There is no doubt the Rohan atelier assistants charged with decorating the margins used the Duke's book as their model.
ISBN 0-8076-1358-4 In 2006, a complete color facsimile bound in leather, issued with a separate 377-page commentary in Spanish (Grandes Horas de Rohan) was produced by A y N Ediciones, Madrid, Spain.
