In 2004, Baroness Monique della Faille d’Huysse donated the van Reynegom Book of Hours to the Foundation so that the general public might discover this important testimony to medieval culture. The manuscript has since been kept at the Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, where it can also be studied.
This breviary, which was probably created at the request of a couple from Brussels, had once belonged to Canon Corneille van Reynegom (1581-1636). The text, written in Latin and partially in Dutch, is richly illustrated with 29 miniatures (there were originally 32), decoration in the margins and dropped capitals. The binding is of the period and the silver clasp bears the initials A and Y.
The manuscript contains two representations of a woman, who commissioned the manuscript, kneeling in prayer. Judging by her clothes and the style of the decoration, she must have been fairly well off. The geographical origin of the work is uncertain: it may have been made in Bruges (which was the centre of book production in the 15th century) or in Brussels itself.
Publication « Les Heures van Reynegom. Donation della Faille d’Huysse. »
Website Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique
