Hours of James IV of Scotland facts for kids
The Hours of James IV of Scotland is a very special old book. It's also called the Prayer Book of James IV and Queen Margaret. This book was made around 1503 in a place called Ghent, which is in modern-day Belgium. It's a type of book known as an "illuminated book of hours." This means it's a prayer book with beautiful, colorful pictures and decorations.
This book is a great example of the amazing art made by the Ghent-Bruges school of artists. These artists were famous for their detailed and vibrant miniature paintings. Today, you can find this precious book in the Austrian National Library in Vienna.
Many people believe the book was a wedding gift. It was likely given by James IV of Scotland or another Scottish noble to James's wife, Margaret Tudor. They got married in 1503, and this book was a perfect gift for such an important event.
Several artists worked on the book's many pictures. The most famous painting shows King James IV praying. This painting was so important that the artist who made it became known as the "Master of James IV of Scotland." We now think this artist was Gerard Horenbout, a well-known painter for Margaret of Austria.
Contents
What is an Illuminated Book?
An illuminated book is a manuscript (a book written by hand) that has been decorated. These decorations often include:
- Miniatures: Small, detailed pictures.
- Initials: Large, fancy first letters of a paragraph.
- Borders: Designs around the edges of the pages.
The word "illuminated" comes from the bright colors and gold leaf used. These materials made the pages seem to glow. Books of hours were popular prayer books for people to use every day.
The Book's Amazing Art
The Hours of James IV is filled with incredible artwork. It has 19 full-page pictures and 46 smaller ones. There are also 14 half-page pictures that show landscapes. These landscapes are unusual because they don't show people. This might be because the Flemish artists weren't sure how Scottish people dressed!
The book also has special decorated letters and borders on almost every page. You can see the royal symbols, or "heraldry," of James and Margaret in many places. One whole page is even dedicated to James's royal coat-of-arms.
Portraits in the Book
The artists who made the book probably received drawings of King James. They also likely got drawings of the royal symbols for both James and Margaret. This helped them make the portraits look accurate.
It's thought that the artists might have used older paintings as a guide. They may have seen pictures of James's parents, James III of Scotland and Margaret of Denmark. These older paintings were made by a famous artist named Hugo van der Goes.
The portrait of Queen Margaret in the book was painted by a different artist. It looks a bit more general, not as detailed as James's portrait.
A Royal Gift and Journey
After King James IV died, Queen Margaret gave the book to her sister, Mary Tudor, Queen of France. Margaret wrote a special message in the book for her sister. It said: "Madame I pray your grace / Remember on me when ye / loke upon this bok / Your lofing syster / Margaret." This shows how much the book meant to her.
Over time, the book found its way to the library of the Habsburg monarchy in Vienna. This happened by the late 1600s, during the time of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. The book has traveled a long way from Scotland to Austria!
In recent years, this historic book has been shown to the public. It was part of special exhibitions in London and Malibu in 2003 and 2004. This allowed many people to see its beauty and learn about its history.
Images for kids
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The miniature of Margaret at prayer (frame not shown), f. 243v
