Bedford Hours, The

The Bedford Hours is considered by many to be the most sumptuous Book of Hours ever created by an illuminator's hand—as well as one of the greatest treasures possessed by the British Library. It once belonged to John, Duke of Bedford, who was the younger brother of King Henry V and regent of France from 1422 until his death in 1435. Its 1,250 elaborate medallions, thirty-eight large-scale miniatures, and extensive brush gold, gold leaf, and silver decorations are extravagant enough to make it one of the most precious manuscripts of its period. Known only as the Bedford Master, the artist behind the manuscript was among the most prolific painters of his day, though his identity has long remained a mystery. The Bedford Hours: A Medieval Masterpiece presents superb and luminous illustrations of the manuscript—seldom available in print—alongside the engrossing tale behind its creation. Eberhard König's account of the creation of the Bedford Hours unfolds toward a number of startlingly original and unexpected conclusions, spurred by extraordinary detective work following the smallest of clues, and culminating a strong conjecture as to the identity of the Bedford Master—Haincelin of Haguenau, an artist who became an illuminator to the dauphin Louis de Guyenne, one of the figures most associated with the major illuminated manuscripts in which the Bedford Master had a hand. This remarkable story and the sixty rich color illustrations that accompany it help to make The Bedford Hours an unforgettable account of the creation of one of our most remarkable medieval masterpieces.