The Gualenghi d'Este Hours

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Barstow!s ten years of thorough research is evident from the first pages of this focused book, published to coincide with the current exhibition of this key piece in the manuscript collection at the Getty. The Gualenghi-d!Este Hours was created in 1469 for the marriage of Andrea Gualengo and Orsina d!Este, a member of Ferrara!s ruling family; the primary artist for the project was Taddeo Crivelli, who created a delightful blend of plasticism and line that reflected Ferrara!s style. Perspective mirrors human consciousness and creates a space for communion with the divine in a very over-the-top fashion. With an incredibly careful eye, Barstow, assistant curator of manuscripts at the Getty Museum, teases out Crivelli!s influences, most notably the work of Pisanello. He also puts the work in situ with discussion of various religious groups in Ferrara at the time, explanation of the devotional context of miniatures, and talk of increasing subjectivity in Renaissance art. Each illumination is reproduced at full size, and some of the text is reprinted with commentary. A definitive book, good for purchase by libraries specializing in art history or where there is interest."Nadine Dalton Speidel, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH

Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

One of the most important Italian manuscripts in the Getty Museum, the lavishly illustrated Gualenghi d'Este Hours was created around 1649 on the occasion of the marriage of diplomat Andrea Gualengo to Orsina d'Este, a member of Ferrara's ruling family. The devotional manuscript featured brilliant figured decoration of the suffrages--short prayers to saints--and was created by Taddeo Crivelli, one of the most important manuscript illuminators of the Renaissance.

This volume includes reproductions of all the illuminations in the original manuscript plus selected text pages, each with commentary. Kurt Barstow examines the book's vivid devotional imagery in relation to works of art of the period that help explain the Hours significance for the fifteenth-century patrons. This beautifully illustrated book is published to coincide with an exhibit featuring the manuscript that will tkae palce at the Getty Museum from May 9 to July 30, 2000.