david hill

The Rohan Hours is a book I have had the pleasure of obtaining from my (now late) aunt Topsy. She was an ardent art enthusiast, and she gave me several art books when I helped her move to Minnesota from Boston. She gave me a wonderful gift in these books, and to share I plan scanning and posting images from one of these books titled Grandes Heures de Rohan, which is French for the Grand Hours Of Rohan. This is a book of hours painted by an anonymous artist named the Rohan Master, dated +/- 1430. I will attempt to include the images in relation to their month, starting with January.

You can click on the image to enlarge.

In this first illustration we see a bearded peasant advanced in years warming himself by a log fire.

The image next to him shows God the Father symbolized in a scene from creation.

The Rohan Master, Book of Hours January

In this engraving, The Temptation Of St. Anthony, Martin Schongauer shows dramatic artistic mastery. Martin was the first great engraver to sign his works, and he was an influence of Durer. This engraving is dated c. 1480-1490
(click image for larger version)

Martin Schongauer The Temptation Of St. Anthony 1480 - 1490

… my life afresh must break
The crust of self, gathered about me fresh;
That thy wind-spirit may rush in and shake
The darkness out of me, and rend the mesh
The spider-devils spin out of the flesh–
Eager to net the soul before it wake,
That it may slumberous lie, and listen to the snake.

fortitude - from the 7 virtues

In ‘fortitude’ Pieter Bruegel illustrates the militant qualities required to overcome evil. An angel is in the foreground with a pillar (strength), a book (Gods word), and chains shackling evil. Many grotuesque and common forms of evil are being defeated (peacock – pride, pig – gluttony, funnel – drunkenness / surgical quackery?) A castle is watched calmly…(Psa 22:20; Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. ) Created c. 1560, Fortitude features the following inscription in the lower margin: ANIMVM VINCERE, IRACVNDIAM COHIBERE, CAETERAQ [VE] VITIA ET, AFFECTVS | COHIBERE, VERA FORTITVDO EST (To conquer one’s impulses, to restrain anger and the other vices and emotions: this is the true fortitude). In a time when feelings and permissiveness are emphasized, an inspiring truth.

…I know grief, pain and fear.
I see them lord it sore and wide around.”
From her fair twilight answers Truth, star crowned,
“Things wrong are needful where wrong things abound.
Things go not wrong; but Pain, with dog and spear,
False faith from human hearts will hunt and hound.
The earth shall quake ‘neath them that trust the solid ground.”