{"id":4958,"date":"2020-04-17T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2020-04-17T08:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/?p=4958"},"modified":"2020-04-17T10:22:12","modified_gmt":"2020-04-17T09:22:12","slug":"bedford-hours-unanswered-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Bedford Hours \u2013 Unanswered Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Bedford Hours<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 currently treasured at the British Library<\/strong> \u2013 is a manuscript that underwent several stages of creation, and perhaps this is one of the reasons of its charm, thus an air of mystery keeps lingering on a few matters such as its production date and original patronage. In both regards, the most basic questions remain unanswered<\/strong>: When was it made<\/em>? For whom?<\/em> Scholars have come a long way in the course of their research and a few things can be stated beyond doubt. For example, we now know that it dates to the early 15th century and that it was owned by the Lancastrian Duke of Bedford<\/strong> and his wife.<\/p>\n

\"Double-page<\/a>
Double-page opening of the Bedford Hours<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In case you missed it: check out our high definition picture gallery of the Bedford Hours facsimile editions \u2013 you can also watch a short video highlighting the most significant details and information!<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Bedford Hours \u2013 Who Was it Made for?<\/h2>\n

Evidence of this ownership is the frequent inclusion of the couple’s joint coats-of-arms<\/strong>, with the golden emblem of the woodstock for the duke and the Burgundian laurels for the duchess.<\/p>\n

\"Couple's<\/a>
Couple’s coat-of-arms on f. 15r<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One might say “Well there you have it!”, unfortunately there is a but<\/em>…
\nSurprisingly enough, the arms are always inserted into spaces originally left blank; the devices are always inserted into gaps left blank by chance and not once do they occur in the original iconographic structure, may that be a miniature or a border decoration. This would mean that the manuscript was being personalised for the Bedfords<\/strong> only after it was completed.<\/p>\n

\"Inscription<\/a>
Inscription reported by John Somerset on f. 256v<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A single instance of the duchess’ motto appears in an original part of the design which lead scholars to believe that the manuscript was begun for Anne of Burgundy<\/strong> before her marriage in 1423.
\nBe that as it may, we are certain that the codex was in the duchess’ possession in 1430, for an inscription added at a later stage (f. 256) records the presentation of the volume to her nephew Henry, legitimate heir to the crown of France and grandson of Charles VI<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Royal descent<\/h3>\n

The reason why I mention Charles VI<\/strong> is also because some scholars believe that the manuscript might have belonged to the dauphin Louis de Guyenne<\/strong>, drawing attention to some illumination which seem to allude to Charles VI and his wife. If this were true, we would certainly be dealing with spectacular royal descent: from Louis de Guyenne to Anne of Burgundy to Henry IV.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/span>After 5 centuries an air of mystery still lingers on the Bedford Hours<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n

Educational Tool for Henry VI<\/h2>\n

As previously mentioned, the Bedford Hours was an ongoing project for a long time with its final upgrade taking place in 1430. Although the Duke of Bedford<\/strong> entrusted this task to the Bedford Master<\/strong><\/a> it appears that there was no clear iconographic plan, for, after these last additions \u2013 albeit unparalleled \u2013 the manuscript results quite chaotic, i.e. full-page miniatures left dangling with no conceptual structure.<\/p>\n

It seems that it was only when they decided that the manuscript would be presented to Henry VI that the Bedford Hours<\/strong><\/a> found its purpose. For the Bedfords decided to transform it into a religious and educational compendium, with each and every marginal illustration explained.<\/p>\n

\"Detail<\/a>
F. 47r: Captions added later on for king Henry VI so as to explain the marginal illustrations to the young boy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What Are We Missing?<\/h2>\n

So, as you can see, after providing you with the facts both the creation date and the original patron remain still quite obscure. However, we may consider ourselves lucky when we think of the inscription recorded by John Somerset<\/strong> on f. 256 which informs us about the history that followed after the Bedfords’ ownership.<\/p>\n

It is striking to know that without this trace we would never have guessed that the cycle of marginal pictures was meant to be self-explanatory<\/strong> and that was only later provided with captions to educate the child king Henry VI<\/strong>. It also makes one wonder about the amount of things that we have missed and that we will never know.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to Our Newsletter<\/h2><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You have probably heard of the Bedford Hours; many questions about this manuscript remain unanswered, so why not take the time to find out what mysteries linger on this beautifully illuminated codex?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4966,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[255,254,118,176,256,221],"yoast_head":"\nBedford Hours \u2013 Unanswered Questions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bedford Hours \u2013 Unanswered Questions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You have probably heard of the Bedford Hours; many questions about this manuscript remain unanswered, so why not take the time to find out what mysteries linger on this beautifully illuminated codex?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Facsimile Finder Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FacsimileFinder\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-17T08:00:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-04-17T09:22:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/bedford-hours-1-e1510746751553.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"553\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Giovanni Scorcioni\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@FacsimileFinder\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@FacsimileFinder\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Giovanni Scorcioni\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Giovanni Scorcioni\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/c0bf201fa158de72dfdd27840bace731\"},\"headline\":\"Bedford Hours \u2013 Unanswered Questions\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-17T08:00:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-04-17T09:22:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/\"},\"wordCount\":729,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/bedford-hours-1-e1510746751553.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Anne of Burgundy\",\"bedford hours\",\"Bedford Master\",\"facsimile edition\",\"Henry VI\",\"illuminated manuscript\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Illuminated Manuscripts\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/\",\"name\":\"Bedford Hours \u2013 Unanswered Questions\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/bedford-hours-1-e1510746751553.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-17T08:00:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-04-17T09:22:12+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/bedford-hours-1-e1510746751553.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/bedford-hours-1-e1510746751553.jpg\",\"width\":553,\"height\":800},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/\",\"name\":\"Facsimile Finder BookPlate\",\"description\":\"News from the world of facsimile editions and more.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Facsimile Finder\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Logo-FF-Verticale.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Logo-FF-Verticale.png\",\"width\":416,\"height\":399,\"caption\":\"Facsimile Finder\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FacsimileFinder\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/FacsimileFinder\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/facsimilefinder\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/facsimile-finder\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@facsimiles\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/c0bf201fa158de72dfdd27840bace731\",\"name\":\"Giovanni Scorcioni\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7ce2785cd1a2fa1941b8747398dca7a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7ce2785cd1a2fa1941b8747398dca7a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Giovanni Scorcioni\"},\"description\":\"Giovanni is the founder of Facsimile Finder. He's the only true responsible for every fault we have, so feel free to blame him if you have reasons to hate this website. If you love this project, though, feel free to send him muffins, or chocolate bonbons, or the first tasty thing you have at hand.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/author\/giovanni\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Bedford Hours \u2013 Unanswered Questions","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Bedford Hours \u2013 Unanswered Questions","og_description":"You have probably heard of the Bedford Hours; many questions about this manuscript remain unanswered, so why not take the time to find out what mysteries linger on this beautifully illuminated codex?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/","og_site_name":"Facsimile Finder Blog","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FacsimileFinder","article_published_time":"2020-04-17T08:00:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-04-17T09:22:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":553,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/bedford-hours-1-e1510746751553.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Giovanni Scorcioni","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@FacsimileFinder","twitter_site":"@FacsimileFinder","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Giovanni Scorcioni","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/"},"author":{"name":"Giovanni Scorcioni","@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/c0bf201fa158de72dfdd27840bace731"},"headline":"Bedford Hours \u2013 Unanswered Questions","datePublished":"2020-04-17T08:00:29+00:00","dateModified":"2020-04-17T09:22:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/"},"wordCount":729,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/bedford-hours-1-e1510746751553.jpg","keywords":["Anne of Burgundy","bedford hours","Bedford Master","facsimile edition","Henry VI","illuminated manuscript"],"articleSection":["Illuminated Manuscripts"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/","url":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/","name":"Bedford Hours \u2013 Unanswered Questions","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/bedford-hours-1-e1510746751553.jpg","datePublished":"2020-04-17T08:00:29+00:00","dateModified":"2020-04-17T09:22:12+00:00","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/bedford-hours-unanswered-questions\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/bedford-hours-1-e1510746751553.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/bedford-hours-1-e1510746751553.jpg","width":553,"height":800},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/","name":"Facsimile Finder BookPlate","description":"News from the world of facsimile editions and more.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#organization","name":"Facsimile Finder","url":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Logo-FF-Verticale.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Logo-FF-Verticale.png","width":416,"height":399,"caption":"Facsimile Finder"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FacsimileFinder","https:\/\/x.com\/FacsimileFinder","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/facsimilefinder\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/facsimile-finder\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@facsimiles"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/c0bf201fa158de72dfdd27840bace731","name":"Giovanni Scorcioni","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7ce2785cd1a2fa1941b8747398dca7a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7ce2785cd1a2fa1941b8747398dca7a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Giovanni Scorcioni"},"description":"Giovanni is the founder of Facsimile Finder. He's the only true responsible for every fault we have, so feel free to blame him if you have reasons to hate this website. If you love this project, though, feel free to send him muffins, or chocolate bonbons, or the first tasty thing you have at hand.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/author\/giovanni\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/bedford-hours-1-e1510746751553.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6LXaF-1hY","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4958"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4958"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9395,"href":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4958\/revisions\/9395"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}