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The Black Hours, MS M493 (French: Livre d'heures noir, German: Schwarzes Stundenbuch) is an illuminated book of hours usually dated to ca. 1475, originating in Bruges. No records survive of its creators or original owners, but the quality and expensive rarity of its production and its uniquely dark tone suggest commission by privileged and sophisticated members of the Burgundian laity. Now in the Morgan Library, New York, MS M493 is a masterpiece of Gothic manuscript illumination and "a book of unequaled luxury".〔"(Das Schwarze Stundenbuch )". New York: Old Manuscripts & Incunabula. Retrieved 11 October 2015〕 It is usually attributed to the circle of Willem Vrelant, the leading Flemish illuminator of his generation. It is one of seven surviving examples of the so-called Black books of hours all of which date to mid to late 15th century Flanders.〔Ingo, 362〕 These books' production involved an unusual and elaborate technique where the parchment was presoaked in black ink. Other extant works include the Black Hours of Galeazzo Maria Sforza (also known as ''the Black Hours of Charles the Bold'') (ca. 1466–76) and the Hours of Mary of Burgundy (ca. 1477). ==Description== The book consists of 121 sheets each measuring around 17 x 12cm, of which 14 contain full page miniatures, each placed opposite the beginning of one of the prayers, and which stylistically can be placed as between 1460 and 1475. There are 138 borders, with 15 large and several small signatures. Typically the biblical characters are clothed in a late Gothic dress. The initials are made from gold leaf on an emerald ground, and typically extend across lines of text.〔 The text is inscribed in Latin.〔Walther, 372〕 It is bound in tan pigskin and tied with oxidized silver clasps, probably added in the 19th century.〔"(Book of hours (MS M.493) ). "Morgan Library. Retrieved 4 October 2015〕 The colour scheme is mostly dark tones, with some reds, old rose, greens, grays, light flesh tones and whites. The dark and solemn appearance is in marked contrast to the bright colourisation found in even the highest quality books of the day and seems to reflect a rather gloomy and mournful outlook.〔 The manuscript was probably intended for the first rank of nobility: the artwork is of a sophisticated, or at least unusual taste, and the pages are supposed by art historians to have carried an almost mystical aura for their medieval owners.〔 The dramatic effect of the black and dark-blue backgrounds was achieved by immersing the vellum in an iron-copper solution before using gold or silver when applying the text. It is one of only seven known manuscripts in this style, all originating from the lower Netherlands. Because of the involved production process, the book would have been considerably more expensive and highly prized than conventional manuscripts. The underlying blue is made up of a number of variants of the hue, each of varying depths of colour.〔 The borders were ornamented exclusively in gold and are shaded mostly with black. They are decorated with yellow or gold filigree and extravagant foliage, including vines. The borders in places contain jagged acanthus scrolls, as well as birds, small animals, and grotesques, the latter similar to those found in the Viennese Hours.〔 Of the surviving black manuscripts, the Morgan book is the best preserved, in large part because of its unusually thick parchment leaves which protected the lettering from the chemical effect of the black dye, and allowed the Morgan to keep it in codex form, rather than having to place leaves in acrylic panes, as is the case with the Vienna ''Black Prayer Book''.〔 The manuscript has deteriorated in areas, especially in the black of the vellum, where flaking is evident.〔"(Fols. 62v–63r )". Morgan Library. Retrieved 11 October 2015〕 According to the Morgan, the manuscript has been scheduled for treatment and repair.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Black Hours (Morgan Library)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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