The Hours of Henry VIII: A Renaissance Masterpiece by Jean Poyet

A product for the royal court of France, the "Hours of Henry VIII," created around 1500 by Jean Poyet, is one of the most splendid Books of Hours from this period. This magnificently illustrated lay book of daily devotions and prayers contains fifty-five exquisitely hand-painted images all reproduced here together and in color for the first time. The previously little-known Poyet (active ca. 1483-1503) enjoyed the patronage of the courts of three French kings. Not only an illuminator of manuscripts of the highest quality, Poyet also created panel paintings, elaborate drawings, and designed theatrical spectacles, all in a style that links Fouquet to Poussin. Author Roger S. Wieck provides a thorough explanation of the importance both of this grand manuscript within its art historical context and of Poyet's artistic achievements, which fluidly merged the cool, late Gothic aesthetic of his native northern France with the avant-garde Renaissance style of northern Italy. All known works by Poyet are discussed and illustrated. The volume is rounded out by detailed commentaries by William M. Voelkle and K. Michelle Hearne on each section of the Book of Hours, and an analysis of the fascinating history of the manuscript (tradition holds that it was once in the collection of Henry VIII, hence its name today). 66 color illustrations, 35 b/w illustrations.

Roger S. Wieck is Curator of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts at the Morgan Library, New York. He is the author of Painted Prayers: The Book of Hours in Medieval and Renaissance Art and Time Scantified: The Book of Hours in Medieval Art and Life. William M. Voelkle is Curator and Head of the Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts Department at the Morgan Library, New York. K. Michelle Hearne is a Curatorial Assistant in the Department of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts at the Morgan Library.