One of the most remarkable books from the Renaissance period, the Rothschild Prayer Book, can now be seen at the National Library of Australia in Canberra.
Virgin and Child on a crescent moon and The seven joys of the Virgin, fols 197v–198r in the Rothschild Prayer Book c.1505–1510, Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth
Created in the early 16th century, this book of hours contains 254 folios, of which 67 pages were illuminated by some of the leading Flemish artists of the period. The manuscript itself has a fascinating history, as it was lost for a few hundred years, then owned by the Rothschild family, one of the wealthiest families in Europe during the 19th century. When Austria was taken over by the Nazis in 1938, the manuscript was confiscated by the government, and not returned to the Rothschilds until 1999. It was then sold at auction later that year for $13.4 million, the world record auction price for an illuminated manuscript.
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Last year the manuscript was bought at another auction in New York by Australian businessman Kerry Stokes, for $A15.5 million, and it is now on display in Revealing the Rothschild Prayer Book c.1505–1510 from the Kerry Stokes Collection, part of the National Library’s Treasures Gallery, until August 9, 2015.
George Brandis, Australia’s Attorney-General and Minister for the Arts commented, “The generosity of Mr Kerry Stokes has made it possible for this remarkable treasure to go on show for all Australians to see at the National Library. Mr Stokes is a great Australian and a great arts philanthropist.”
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Director-General of the National Library of Australia, Anne-Marie Schwirtlich, added that the Library was honoured to play host to such a significant piece of world history. “To think it was lost for more than 300 years, only to be bought by one of the most famous banking families in the world, the Rothschilds, then reportedly looted by the Nazis and hidden in an Austrian salt mine. Add to this the fact it’s regarded as one of the most beautiful books in the world—it really doesn’t get much better than this,” Ms Schwirtlich said.
The exhibition also includes more than 20 of the National Library’s own rare medieval and Renaissance treasures, such as a tenth-century manuscript fragment, a page from the Gutenberg Bible, and the fourteenth-century Chertsey cartulary. The exhibition coincides with and celebrates the success of a major fundraising appeal to conserve, digitise and research the Library’s early manuscript treasures.
In this video, the National Library of Australia reveals more about their Medieval Manuscript Preservation Project 2015:
The Revealing the Rothschild Prayer Book c.1505–1510 from the Kerry Stokes Collection runs until August 9, 2015.
One of the most remarkable books from the Renaissance period, the Rothschild Prayer Book, can now be seen at the National Library of Australia in Canberra.
Created in the early 16th century, this book of hours contains 254 folios, of which 67 pages were illuminated by some of the leading Flemish artists of the period. The manuscript itself has a fascinating history, as it was lost for a few hundred years, then owned by the Rothschild family, one of the wealthiest families in Europe during the 19th century. When Austria was taken over by the Nazis in 1938, the manuscript was confiscated by the government, and not returned to the Rothschilds until 1999. It was then sold at auction later that year for $13.4 million, the world record auction price for an illuminated manuscript.
Last year the manuscript was bought at another auction in New York by Australian businessman Kerry Stokes, for $A15.5 million, and it is now on display in Revealing the Rothschild Prayer Book c.1505–1510 from the Kerry Stokes Collection, part of the National Library’s Treasures Gallery, until August 9, 2015.
George Brandis, Australia’s Attorney-General and Minister for the Arts commented, “The generosity of Mr Kerry Stokes has made it possible for this remarkable treasure to go on show for all Australians to see at the National Library. Mr Stokes is a great Australian and a great arts philanthropist.”
Director-General of the National Library of Australia, Anne-Marie Schwirtlich, added that the Library was honoured to play host to such a significant piece of world history. “To think it was lost for more than 300 years, only to be bought by one of the most famous banking families in the world, the Rothschilds, then reportedly looted by the Nazis and hidden in an Austrian salt mine. Add to this the fact it’s regarded as one of the most beautiful books in the world—it really doesn’t get much better than this,” Ms Schwirtlich said.
The exhibition also includes more than 20 of the National Library’s own rare medieval and Renaissance treasures, such as a tenth-century manuscript fragment, a page from the Gutenberg Bible, and the fourteenth-century Chertsey cartulary. The exhibition coincides with and celebrates the success of a major fundraising appeal to conserve, digitise and research the Library’s early manuscript treasures.
In this video, the National Library of Australia reveals more about their Medieval Manuscript Preservation Project 2015:
The Revealing the Rothschild Prayer Book c.1505–1510 from the Kerry Stokes Collection runs until August 9, 2015.
For more details, please visit the National Library of Australia website.
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