Prayer Book of Charles the Bold

Vienna Master of Mary of Burgundy; Lieven van Lathem

1469, about 1471 and about 1480–1490

Tempera colors, gold leaf, gold paint, silver paint, and ink, Tempera Colors, Gold paint, Ink

J. Paul Getty Museum

A miniature painting depicts a kneeling figure in blue receiving a hat from a standing armored figure. Decorative borders surround the central image and text. This diminutive prayer book, measuring about five by three and one-half inches, engages the viewer in intimate contemplation of both its text and its images. The book contains Latin prayers devoted to Christ, the Virgin, and the saints and is remarkably embellished with thirty-seven large miniatures, several smaller miniatures, and decorations on every page. The largest miniatures measure only about three inches on the longest side, but they are incredibly detailed, often with deep panoramic landscapes framed by lush borders. Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy and son of bibliophile Philip the Good, saw many of his father's unfinish