The Spitz Master – A Parisian Book of Hours

The Spitz book of hours is one of the finest French manuscripts in the collections of the Getty Museum. It is also one of the most original and inventive manuscripts painted in the International style. The Spitz Master, its primary illuminator, allows the narrative of the miniatures to fill the borders, bringing its pages alive in a fresh and engaging manner. In his art-historical research, Gregory Clark places this manuscript's vivid, even witty imagery in the turbulent context of Parisian culture around 1420. Clark also examines the book of hours in the context of mediaeval culture, the book trade in Paris, and the role of Paris as an international centre of illumination. This study is devoted entirely to the manuscript and reproduces all the book's miniatures in colour. It should serve as an introduction to the Spitz Hours for scholars and the general public alike.