Hours of Joan the Mad - Joanna I of Castile

Hours of Joan the Mad - Joanna I of Castile

Joanna I of Castile, who bore the epithet “the mad”, was the regent of Aragon from 1504 to 1555. To this day, researchers debate whether Joanna’s madness was merely a matter of intrigue in power-politics by members of her ruling house. What is certain is that the queen was a highly educated person, who delighted in scholarship and art throughout her life. She owned one of the most artistically valuable illuminated manuscripts of her time. Her book of hours was the highpoint of her book collection. It was made by the famous Belgian illuminator Gérard Horenbout. The master furnished almost every page of his work with images. It is comprised of 75 full-page miniatures of breathtaking quality.

Book Art from Belgium

Belgium was a true stronghold of manuscript book art in the Middle Ages. Nowhere else was there such a density of talented masters. Illustrated books of hours from Belgium were coveted across Europe and served as templates for masters from other regions. Books of hours were probably the most popular genre of the Late Middle Ages. They were produced for noblemen for private devotion and prayer. Renowned miniature painters such as Simon Bening and Gérard Horenbout created a completely new kind of book painting with their illuminated codices. Their works amaze the beholder to this very day. The Hours of Joanna I of Castile is counted among Horenbout’s most famous masterpieces.

Artistic Refinement

The Belgian book of hours distinguishes itself through its unbelievably realistic and qualitatively sophisticated pictorial scenes. The miniatures seem almost three-dimensional through their exciting variety of colors and perspective method of representation. Horenbout lent his figures lifelike and emotional facial features. Especially worthy of note are the 14 pictures of the Passion cycle, the gifted master’s depiction of which gives proof of his unmitigated talent. The valuable original edition of the splendid book of hours is found today in the British National Library in London.