The Walters Art Museum has unveiled a new exhibition highlighting illustrated prayer books from the Middle Ages. Titled “Medieval Mindscapes,” the exhibition features a total of 22 remarkable works selected from the museum’s extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts. Visitors can explore this display located on the third level of the museum’s Centre Street building until August 23.
Often referred to as “books of hours,” these portable manuscripts were designed to contain daily prayers along with exquisite images. According to a news release, they offered users a unique way to engage with art in their Christian faith during medieval Europe.
Some of these manuscripts were tailored to individual owners, featuring portraits or intriguing visual illusions woven into the margins. Each book encouraged its owners to actively interact with the artwork rather than merely observe it. Lauren Maceross, the museum’s Zanvyl Krieger Curatorial Fellow for Rare Books and Manuscripts, emphasized this point. She stated, “This exhibition highlights how books of hours engaged users’ imaginations. This creative mental play is a timeless human trait and creates a connection between medieval readers and today’s audience. What visitors experience here might even inspire their own creativity!”
The exhibition includes three notable 15th-century books of hours from Belgium. One of these works portrays a female figure as the Virgin Mary, learning from an angel that she is destined to give birth to the Son of God. Another book features a vivid depiction of a rosary made from gold, coral, and pearls, entwined around the text. The third book captures a whimsical image of a jolly, fleshy skeleton, representing the personification of death.
The Walters Art Museum boasts a rich collection of rare books and manuscripts that spans over 2,000 years, encompassing both ancient and modern times. Its holdings consist of nearly 1,000 illuminated manuscripts, more than 1,300 of the first printed books (dating from circa 1455 to 1500), and almost 2,000 unique volumes from after 1500.
Items in the collection hail from across the globe, including luxurious Gospel books from Armenia, Ethiopia, Byzantium, and Ottonian Germany; French and Flemish books of hours; as well as exquisite illuminated manuscripts from Safavid, Mughal, and Ottoman traditions. Additionally, the printed book collection features first editions of ancient texts by renowned thinkers such as Aristotle and Euclid, a diary penned by Napoleon, and a beautifully crafted binding by Tiffany.
