Hardouin - Stundenbuch - 1505

For sale is a museum-quality, highly valuable fragment of a late medieval / early modern Book of Hours intended for use in Rome, dating from 1505, printed on genuine parchment for the world-famous Parisian publishers and printers Gilles and Germain Hardouin.
This exceptional historical document comprises about 120 pages and offers a fascinating testament to early book printing.
The present copy contains the original printer's imprint, stating that this work was printed in Paris by Guillaume Anabat on October 1, 1505. A magnificent, ornately designed woodcut border on the last page artfully frames the historical text.
Book of Hours served in the late Middle Ages as private prayer and devotion books for the nobility and the wealthy bourgeoisie and were always an important status symbol.
The workshop of the Hardouin brothers was famed across Europe for their masterful prints on the finest parchment. The special feature of this exemplar is its extraordinarily rich embellishment with countless hand-painted initials, decorative line fillers, and colored rubrications in gleaming gold leaf, deep lapis lazuli blue, and other brilliant historical pigments, which, through parchment printing, have preserved their incomparable brilliance over the centuries.
Close-up photographs impressively show the thick layer of real gold leaf on the grand, magnificent initials as well as the delicate white in-figures on the deep blue background, making each page an absolute one-off.
Of interest to provenance researchers and collectors is the historic ex libris shield mounted on the inside cover, bearing John Rhodes’s handwritten signature designation, which documents the provenance of this volume.
The fragment is housed in a beautiful red leather binding with ornamental gold tooling on the covers and spine, elegantly protecting the work and presenting it to full advantage. The detail photographs show the fine floral border, the elegant raised bands, and a historic title impression on the spine, underscoring the exclusivity of this rare collectable.
The parchment shows age-related marks but is wonderfully firm, and the text as well as the paintings are excellent and clearly legible.
The item is located in Pinneberg. As this is a private sale, exchanges, refunds, and any warranty are expressly excluded. Shipping is by insured parcel only or pick-up.
For legal reasons: Condition see pictures
Shipping domestically is available either as a regular parcel via DHL with insurance up to 500 euros for 20 euros shipping cost including packaging, or as a fully insured value parcel via DHL Express within Germany for 35 euros shipping cost.
An international express insured value shipment to EU member states is possible for a flat rate of 80 euros.
For buyers in the USA, the flat shipping and handling costs for the fully insured value shipment amount to a total of exactly 150 euros.
The high costs are due to the extremely high transport charges charged by the carriers.

Please note that any additional customs duties, import taxes, or local sales tax in the USA are entirely the buyer’s responsibility.
Shipping costs to countries outside Europe and the USA must be requested before bidding.
Please inform me of your preferred shipping method immediately after purchase.
If you have any further questions, I am happy to help.

International buyers are welcome. Please read the description for worldwide insured shipping rates to the EU and the USA before bidding. Please check the pictures carefully for the exact condition of the book. Custom fees or local sales tax are the buyer's responsibility.