{"id":4926,"date":"2020-10-02T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2020-10-02T08:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/?p=4926"},"modified":"2020-10-02T18:19:46","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T17:19:46","slug":"van-damme-hours-one-simon-benings-masterpieces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/van-damme-hours-one-simon-benings-masterpieces\/","title":{"rendered":"Van Damme Hours \u2013 One of Simon Bening’s Masterpieces"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Van Damme Hours<\/strong><\/a>, a jewel of Flemish art, is named after its scribe Antonius Van Damme<\/strong>, who signed and dated the manuscript in the colophon that appears at the end of the book (ff. 128v-129r).<\/p>\n

A few features of the codex would lead us to believe that the commissioner was a man, probably a member of the Third Order of St. Francis<\/strong>, however, if we take into consideration the scribe he hired and the artist he commissioned, he must have been quite wealthy.<\/p>\n

Simon Bening and his Artistic Technique<\/h2>\n

One of the reasons why this manuscript is so significant is that it was illuminated by Simon Bening<\/strong>, one of the greatest illuminators of Flemish tradition.<\/p>\n

Stylistically speaking, the Van Damme Hours<\/strong> represents a turning point in Bening\u2019s career. While earlier manuscripts, like the Da Costa Hours<\/strong><\/a>, feature smooth brushstrokes which create a somewhat hard surface, works like the Van Damme Hours exhibit a velvety texture. Of course, it would take an in-depth analysis to study the work of Bening (the facsimile is provided with a wonderfully exhaustive commentary), but here we are going to touch upon three main features that characterize Bening’s technique and which can all be found in the Van Damme Hours<\/strong> are:<\/p>\n