The first part of a breviary intended for use by a Franciscan,
perhaps a Poor Clare, was referred to as Horae canonicae in earlier
literature. It was written in 1459 on high quality parchment by the
well known scribe Johannes Frauenlob. The coats of arms of
Constance families Schatz and Guldinast allow us to make inferences
about who commissioned it. Rich book decoration includes
gold-grounded initials, filigree, and margin borders. About 30
figured and illustrated initials by two stylistically distinct
hands, of which the first is distinguished by particular
virtuosity: «Der mit zahllosen Farbpunkten vorgenommene
Farbauftrag, die heitere Rankenmalerei […] und auch das
geschärfte Verständnis für Fernwirkung bei
Landschaftsdarstellungen sind beinahe einzigartig für diese Zeit
in der Bodenseemalerei.» (Bernd Konrad).
