Object #2: Hours of Jeanne de Navarre

Object #2: Hours of Jeanne de Navarre

Book of Hours

A book of hours is a prayer book similar to that of a psalter. They were typically commissioned as gifts to give to the curch prior to the 13th century. Later, more individuals would want to practice religion in their on homes. A book of hours is also a way for individuals to display connoisseurship, as some examples contain little to no evidence of usage, such as figner prints and rubbing (De Hamel 22).

The Hours of Jeanne de Navarre was commissioned by King Philip Vi of Valois and Blanche de Navarre for Jeanne de Navarre, who was the daughter of King Louis X of France (Kren and Marx, Hours of Jeanne de Navarre).

The Hours of Jeanne de Navarre shows a very similar stylistic approach to the renderings of the border bars and the ivy that grace the pages and frame the larger illuminations within this manuscript. The border bars frame the page, and have vines of ivy that branch off of the page and frame it further. The ivy is intricately drawn, and contains a lot of blue, yellow and red pigment similar to that of the French Psalterium.

Both the main showcased Psalterium and the Hours of Jeanne de Navarre were created within the same timespan and within France. This could attribute to part of the stylistic similarity between both books’ rendering of ivy vines and leaves. Both books are religious as well, which explains the rationale for including the religious symbol, ivy.

Paris, France

Bibliotheque Nationale

Bibliotheque Nationale

1336-40

180x135 mm

Gothic Script.

Book of Hours.