Date of Award:

1996

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Arts (MA)

Department:

History

Advisor/Chair:

Norman L. Jones

Abstract

Created in France during the late fifteenth century, the illuminations, text, and family genealogy (added by one of many owners) found in De Villers Book of Hours make it an excellent example among other French books of hours from this period. In addition to acting as a repository of the style and iconography of French fifteenth-century illumination, the book's rich decorative program and varied textual content provide a remarkable document of contemporary devotional piety. This thesis provides the first detailed description and analysis of the De Villers Book of Hours. Following a description of books of hours in general, the overall makeup of the De Villers Hours is addressed, including the decorative program with a suggested method and example for description, a sample of textual transcription, comments on the provenance, a brief discussion of the family genealogy, and a concluding section with a sample collection register and worksheet for cataloging.

Copyright for this work is retained by the student.