description Black Hours (MS M.493) Overview
The Black Hours, catalogued as Morgan Library and Museum MS M.493, is a Flemish book of hours created in Bruges during the late fifteenth century. Its parchment leaves were stained black and then written and decorated with gold, silver, and colored pigments, making it part of a very small group of surviving black books of hours. The manuscript contains prayers for private Christian devotion and exemplifies the costly materials, specialized craftsmanship, and courtly taste associated with luxury Burgundian manuscript production.
help Black Hours (MS M.493) FAQ
How were the pages of the Black Hours made black?
Its vellum leaves were deliberately stained or dyed before scribes and painters worked on them. Gold and silver writing, colored borders, and luminous miniatures then stood out against the dark surface.
Why are black books of hours so rare?
Preparing darkened parchment was expensive and technically difficult, while metallic writing could tarnish and the treated leaves could deteriorate. Only a small group of black manuscripts survives from the Burgundian Netherlands.
Where and when was Morgan MS M.493 produced?
It was made in Bruges in the late fifteenth century, during the period of lavish Burgundian court culture. Its calendar and devotional offices identify it as a book of hours intended for private prayer.
Where can the Black Hours be seen today?
The manuscript is held by the Morgan Library & Museum in New York under the shelf mark MS M.493. Because it is a fragile bound manuscript, only selected openings may be displayed at any one time.
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