Rare illuminated manuscripts, made especially for their owners are also called Books of Hours or Heures and are illuminated works of renaissance art masters. Because these works were created specifically for their owners and designed around the ‘hours of the Virgin Mary’ saying her prayers at the stations of the cross, they have local personalized calendars and may even have pictures of the family members. These rare illuminated books are also known as the ‘Little Psalter’ and were often given by relatives to the bride or by the soon-to-be husband as a gift. Many of these early works were created from the early 1200’s through to about the beginning of the 1500’s when printing made the expensive hand made books obsolete.

The reason for their surge was due to the nearly total disintegration of society due to the Plagues, which wiped out the church members as well as their parishioners. Looking for solace and salvation during a very difficult, brutish and mean times, these little gems brought their owners an aura of divine protection and salvation, at least in their minds. The art work is miniature and spectacular with gold and rare earth minerals used for the coloring. The blue color was even more expensive than gold. Upon the decease of the owner, many of these books, because of their value, were divided up amongst the family members, so finding a complete, intact and unadulterated Book of Hours is no small reward. Priced in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per copy and individual 'scenes' selling for tens of thousands of dollars, owning one of these little wonders, humbles even the most arrogant members of our society, as we are in fact, merely keepers of the book, not real owners.

Calix Books & Antiques
#281
505 Paradise Rd.
Swampscott, MA 01907
Phone: 781 477 9485
FAX: 781 477 9484

angelzgrace@msn.com