Horae Beatae Marie Secundum usum curie romane
Horae Beatae Marie Secundum usum curie romane is a Black Book of Hours made around 1458, in the collection of the Hispanic Society of America. It is housed in their museum in New York City.
Description
The book is an illuminated manuscript on black parchment, consisting of 152 folios. Itmeasures 14.7 x 10.1 cm.[1]
The manuscript has space on the page facing the start of each office, for a miniature. The inclusion of St. Vincent Ferrer, who was canonized in 1455, gives us a terminus post quem. Folio 13r bears the coat of arms of Castile (believed to be that of Maria of Castile).[1]
Purpose and creation
The calendar is appropriate for the Crown of Aragon, and it has been suggested it was a gift, on her bereavement, to Maria of Castile, queen of Alfonso V of Aragon who died in Valencia in 1458. The black parchment and her coat of arms, no longer blazoned with that of Aragon support this theory.[1]