Copied and illuminated for Albert of Brandenburg, bishop of Magdeburg and administrator of the Halberstadt bishopric. Generous patron of literature and the arts, and promoter of German humanism, he made many artists famous including Grünewald, Cranach and the Glockendons.

The manuscript contains 43 splendid, full-page miniatures made by the German master Nikolaus Glockendon, veritable, two-part paintings showing scenes of the life of Jesus in the centre and Old Testament scenes in the margin.

The miniatures in this codex reveal the influence of great masters from Glockendon’s time: Dürer, Grünewald and Holbein. The subject matter and typology of the prayers it contains set this book of prayers and meditation within the spiritual trend of German humanism inspired by Erasmus of Rotterdam which promoted a modern, intimist religiousness.

Commentary volume