This small, elegant, illuminated book of hours for the use of Rome
was probably produced in the workshop of Jean Colombe, the famous
book illustrator from Bourges, who was active in the last third of
the 15th century. Some of the 14 miniatures that decorate the
manuscript can in fact also be found in other books of hours that
were illuminated by the master of Bourges, such as the cord
situated in the ornate margins that frame the miniatures (Paris,
BnF, n.a. lat. 3181). This motif has been interpreted in different
ways, either as a sign of belonging to the Third Order of
Franciscans, or as a sign of widowhood, in which case the addressee
would have been a woman – but this is contradicted by the
masculine forms of address in the prayers. The manuscript later
became the property of Paul Petau, and in 1756 it became part of
the collection of the Bibliothèque de Genève as part of the
bequest of Ami Lullin.
