Book of Hours - Illuminated Prayer Book for the Wealthy

Book of Hours - Illuminated Prayer Book for the Wealthy A book of hours was a prayer book containing appropriate prayers for specific hours of the day, days of the week, months, and seasons. Books of hours were usually beautifully illuminated, and some of the more notable ones are among the finest works of medieval art in existence. Origin and history   Initially, books of hours were produced by scribes in monasteries for use by their fellow monks. Monastics divided their day into eight segments, or hours, of prayer: Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, Nones, Compline, and Vespers. A monk would set a book of hours on a lectern or table and read from it aloud at each of these hours; the books were therefore fairly large in format. The earliest known monastic books of hours were created in the 13th century. By the 14th century, smaller, portable books of hours with less complex liturgical systems were being produced for use by individuals. By the 15th century, these lay books of hours were so popular they outnumbered all other types of illuminated manuscript. Because the artwork was so splendid, books of hours were too expensive for all but the wealthiest of patrons: royalty, nobility, and occasionally very wealthy merchants or artisans. Contents Books of hours would vary according to the preferences of their owners, but they always began with a liturgical calendar; that is, a list of feast days in chronological order, as well as a method of calculating the date of Easter. Some included a multi-year almanac. Often books of hours included the seven Penitential Psalms, as well as any of a wide variety of other prayers devoted to favorite saints or personal issues. Frequently, books of hours featured a cycle of prayers dedicated to the Virgin Mary. illustrations Each section of prayers was accompanied by an illustration to help the reader meditate on the subject. Most often, these illustrations depicted biblical scenes or saints, but sometimes simple scenes from rural life or displays of royal splendor were included, as were the occasional portraits of the patrons who ordered the books. Calendar pages often depicted signs of the Zodiac. It wasnt uncommon for the owners coat of arms to be incorporated, as well. Pages that were largely text were often framed with or highlighted by foliage or symbolic motifs. The illustrations of books of hours and other manuscripts are sometimes called miniatures. This is not because the pictures are small; in fact, some could take up the entire page of an oversized book. Rather, the word miniature has its origins in the Latin miniare, to rubricate or to illuminate, and thus refers to written pages, or manuscripts. Production   Monastic books of hours were produced, as were most other illuminated manuscripts, by monks in a scriptorium. However, when books of hours became popular among the laity, a system of professional publication evolved. Scribes would write the text in one place, artists would paint the illustrations in another, and the two products were put together in a bookbinders hall. When a patron ordered a book of hours to be made, he could select his favorite prayers and subjects for illustration. In the later middle ages, it was also possible to purchase a pre-produced, generic book of hours in a stationers shop. Materials   Books of hours, like other medieval manuscripts, were written on parchment (sheepskin) or vellum (calfskin), specially treated to receive ink and paint. The writing surface was invariably lined to help the scribe write neatly and evenly; this was usually done by an assistant. By the time books of hours became popular, the inks used in manuscripts were almost always iron gall ink, made from the gallnuts on oak trees where wasp larvae were laid. This could be tinted different colors through the use of various minerals. Ink was applied with a quill pen a feather, cut to a sharp point and dipped in a jar of ink. A wide variety of minerals, plants, and chemicals were used to tint paints for the illustrations. The color sources were mixed with arabic or tragacinth gum as a binding agent. The most vivid and expensive mineral used in paint was Lapis Lazuli, a blue gemstone with gold flecks which in the Middle Ages was found only in present-day Afghanistan. Gold and silver leaf were also used to marvelous effect. The brilliant use of the precious metals achieved gave illumination its name. Significance to Medieval Art Books of hours offered artists the opportunity to display their skill to the best of their abilities. Depending on the wealth of the patron, the finest materials were used in order to achieve the richest and most vivid colors. Over the centuries of the book formats popularity, art style evolved into a more natural, vibrant form, and the structure of the illuminated page changed to allow more expression on the part of the illuminators. Now known as Gothic illumination, the works produced in the 13th through 15th centuries by clerical and secular artists alike would influence other art styles, such as stained glass, as well as the art that would follow in the Renaissance movements. Notable Book of Hours By far the most famous and splendid Book of Hours ever produced is Les Trà ¨s Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, produced in the 15th century.

Henry Ford - Biography

Henry Ford - Biography Who Was Henry Ford? assembly line Dates: July 30, 1863 April 7, 1947 Henry Fords Childhood Ford, the Tinkerer Steam Engines It was during this time that Henry met Clara Bryant. When they married in 1888, Henrys father gave him a large piece of land on which Henry built a small house, a sawmill, and a shop to tinker in. Fords Quadricycle Founding the Ford Motor Company Believing that publicity would encourage people to by cars, Henry started building and driving his own racecars. It was at racetracks that Henry Fords name first became well known. However, the average person didnt need a racecar, they wanted something reliable. While Ford worked on designing a reliable car, investors organized a factory. It was this third attempt at a company to make automobiles, the Ford Motor Company, that succeeded. On July 15, 1903, the Ford Motor Company sold its first car, a Model A, to Dr. E. Pfennig, a dentist, for $850. Ford continually worked to improve the cars design and soon created Models B, C, and F. The Model T Since the Model T quickly became so popular that it was selling faster than Ford could manufacture them, Ford began looking for ways to speed up the manufacturing. In 1913, Ford added a motorized assembly line in the plant. The motorized conveyor belts moved the car to the workers, who would now each add one part to the car as the car passed them. The motorized assembly line significantly cut the time, and thus cost, of manufacturing each car. Ford passed on this savings to the customer. Although the first Model T was sold for $850, the price eventually dropped to under $300. Ford produced the Model T from 1908 until 1927, building 15 million cars. Ford Advocates for His Workers Henry Ford Ford also created a sociological department in the factory that would examine workers lives and try to make it better. Since he believed he knew what was best for his workers, Henry was very much against unions. Anti-Semitism Dearborn Independent The Death of Henry Ford For decades, Henry Ford and his only child, Edsel, worked together at the Ford Motor Company. However, friction between them steadily grew, based nearly entirely on differences of opinion over how the Ford Motor Company should be run. In the end, Edsel died from stomach cancer in 1943, at age 49. In 1938 and again in 1941, Henry Ford suffered strokes. On April 7, 1947, four years after Edsels death, Henry Ford passed away at age 83.