Medieval manuscripts will be among the highlights at EXPO Chicago 2026, where Les Enluminures is set to present a selection of illuminated works. The exhibition, titled Past Is Present: Collecting Medieval Art Today, will focus on how medieval books and manuscript painting continue to attract interest from collectors and audiences today.
One of the main works on display is the Missal of St. Adrian’s Abbey in Geraardsbergen, a manuscript produced in the early sixteenth century for Abbot Jan van Broedere. It was likely created for the altar of the abbey’s Lady Chapel, and one of its miniatures shows the abbot and the presumed patron, Daniel van Boeckhout, kneeling during the Veneration of the Host.
Follower of the Master of the Vitae Imperatorum Ascension of Christ in an Initial ‘I’, from a Choir Book Italy, Lombardy, c. 1450 122 × 107 mm (MIN 25-09)
Also featured is an Ascension of Christ miniature from a choir book, attributed in the figure caption to a follower of the Master of the Vitae Imperatorum and dated to about 1450 in Lombardy.
A third manuscript in the display is a Florentine Book of Hours, Use of Rome, dated to around 1460 to 1475. Written in Latin on vellum, it contains 19 historiated initials by Francesco di Antonio del Chierico. Les Enluminures describes Books of Hours as the late medieval devotional “best-sellers,” and presents this example as a manuscript whose small-scale detail rewards close viewing.
Book of Hours, Use of Rome In Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum 19 historiated initials by Francesco di Antonio del Chierico (1433-1484) Italy, Florence, c. 1460-75 (BOH-0260)
Taken together, the manuscripts offer visitors a chance to see a range of late medieval and Renaissance book art, from a substantial Netherlandish missal to Italian devotional and liturgical works. EXPO Chicago 2026 is taking place at the Navy Pier Festival Hall from April 9 to 12, with the Les Enluminures’ exhibition at Booth 311.
Top Image: Missal of Jan de Broedere (Summer Part) In Latin, Illuminated manuscript on parchment. 5 large miniatures, 1 full page, with 4 historiated initials and illuminated borders by the Masters of Raphael de Mercatellis Belgium, Abbey Church of St.-Adrian of Geraardsbergen or Grammont, c. 1510-1520? (IIM-5892)
Medieval manuscripts will be among the highlights at EXPO Chicago 2026, where Les Enluminures is set to present a selection of illuminated works. The exhibition, titled Past Is Present: Collecting Medieval Art Today, will focus on how medieval books and manuscript painting continue to attract interest from collectors and audiences today.
One of the main works on display is the Missal of St. Adrian’s Abbey in Geraardsbergen, a manuscript produced in the early sixteenth century for Abbot Jan van Broedere. It was likely created for the altar of the abbey’s Lady Chapel, and one of its miniatures shows the abbot and the presumed patron, Daniel van Boeckhout, kneeling during the Veneration of the Host.
Also featured is an Ascension of Christ miniature from a choir book, attributed in the figure caption to a follower of the Master of the Vitae Imperatorum and dated to about 1450 in Lombardy.
A third manuscript in the display is a Florentine Book of Hours, Use of Rome, dated to around 1460 to 1475. Written in Latin on vellum, it contains 19 historiated initials by Francesco di Antonio del Chierico. Les Enluminures describes Books of Hours as the late medieval devotional “best-sellers,” and presents this example as a manuscript whose small-scale detail rewards close viewing.
Taken together, the manuscripts offer visitors a chance to see a range of late medieval and Renaissance book art, from a substantial Netherlandish missal to Italian devotional and liturgical works. EXPO Chicago 2026 is taking place at the Navy Pier Festival Hall from April 9 to 12, with the Les Enluminures’ exhibition at Booth 311.
Click here for more details about EXPO Chicago 2026
Click here to learn more about Les Enluminures
Top Image: Missal of Jan de Broedere (Summer Part) In Latin, Illuminated manuscript on parchment. 5 large miniatures, 1 full page, with 4 historiated initials and illuminated borders by the Masters of Raphael de Mercatellis Belgium, Abbey Church of St.-Adrian of Geraardsbergen or Grammont, c. 1510-1520? (IIM-5892)
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