The
Hours of Mary Magdalene
The most popular book of the Middle Ages, a Book of Hours enabled lay people to keep a similar rhythm of prayer as the monks, nuns, and priests who prayed the Liturgy of the Hours--the eight times of prayer that helped them remember the presence of God throughout the day and night. In the days before the printing press, scribes and illuminators created these exquisite books by hand, using paints, inks, and dyes they crafted from such materials as plants, flowers, and costly stones and minerals including lapis lazuli and gold.
The contents of the Book of Hours varied; virtually all of them contained the Hours of the Virgin (with illuminations of the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus), the Hours of the Cross (with illuminations depicting the events around Jesus' crucifixion), and the Hours of the Holy Spirit (with an illumination of the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost).
A rare addition to the Book of Hours was the Hours (or the Office) of Mary Magdalene, which inspired this series. Typically this office was accompanied by only one or two illuminations depicting the Magdalene's life. The only Book of Hours I've come across that contained an entire cycle of Magdalene illuminations (one for each prayer office) is the Savoy Hours, created in 14th century France. Most of the Savoy Hours, including the entire Office of Mary Magdalene, was destroyed in a fire in 1904.
For this series I borrowed also from other depictions of the Magdalene in medieval art, many of which made use of the rich store of Magdalene legends that emerged in that period. Here we catch glimpses of the legendary Magdalene who, according to the tales, moved to France and became a famous preacher, freed prisoners from a French jail, and spent the final years of her life in the wilderness, where she was carried to heaven by angels at each of the canonical hours.
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 The
Hour of Matins |
 The
Hour of Lauds |
 The
Hour of Prime |
 The Hour of Terce |
 The
Hour of Sext |
 The
Hour of None |
 The
Hour of Vespers |
 The
Hour of Compline |
For prints of these images, visit Color Prints. All images © Jan Richardson |