Illustrated prayer books called books of hours remained popular with europe’s elite well into the era of printing technology. This example belongs to a printed edition of five by the parisian printer and engraver guillaume le rouge, dating to 1510. Though printed on vellum (not paper), its 62 engraved pictures were hand-colored by an illuminator much like a traditional manuscript. By the mid-1480s, paris was the center of production for books of hours with printed texts and engraved ornament. This book is therefore a hybrid fusing two distinct production methods—illumination and printing—representing the waning phase of the illuminator’s art prior to the complete transformation to printed books. Date: 1510. Place of creation: France, Paris, 16th century. Dimensions: Overall: 16.7 x 10.5 x 3 cm (6 9/16 x 4 1/8 x 1 3/16 in.). Medium: parchment, print. Collection: Cleveland Museum of Art. Clevelandart 2009.276
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