Gebedenboek Maria van Gelre
Gebedenboek Maria van Gelre

Mary of Guelders

Key work in Dutch art history
Duration
2015 until 2019
Project type
Research

The prayer book of Maria van Gelre is a key work in Dutch art history from around 1400. Due to the fragile condition in which it was found, it could not be studied and exhibited. After successful crowdfunding, the Maria van Gelre Prayer Book project was officially launched in 2015. Radboud University, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and Museum het Valkhof worked in close collaboration for four years on the restoration of the book, the research and the development of an exhibition. The research has yielded many new insights: it is now clear how the miniaturists worked, which pigments they used, how the book was composed and that Maria played an important role in this. The prayer book has also become available online. This project was completed in early 2019.

Who was Mary of Guelders?

Mary d’Harcourt, the woman who would later become known under her married name Mary of Guelders, led a tumultuous life. Born in 1378 and raised among the nobility of the French court, she eventually married a duke of high standing and commissioned an extraordinary prayer book of outstanding quality. Read more about her life and prayer book here.

Exhibition

The exhibition I, Maria van Gelre. The duchess and her exceptional prayer book was on display from 13 October 2018 to 6 January 2019 in Museum Het Valkhof in Nijmegen.

Prayer book online

Bringing a hidden treasure closer to the general public was one of the central objectives of the crowdfunding campaign for Mary of Guelders’ prayer book. An important step in achieving this goal was making the prayer book available online: this way everyone has the opportunity to gaze upon its riches, read its texts and enjoy its 600-year-old splendor. Furthermore, from 13 October 2018 toto 6 January 2019 part of this extraordinary book was on display during an exhibition at the Valkhof Museum.

Mary's prayer book online

Partners

The project Prayer Book Mary of Guelders was started by means of crowdfunding. Approximately 350 private donors raised over €30,000. The main partners involved in the project are Radboud University, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and Museum Het Valkhof. Employees of these institutions provided important contributions to the research and the exhibition. Additionally, we received substantial contributions from NWO (the Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research – Alfa Meerwaarde), Ernst von Siemens Kunststiffung (making it possible to conduct technical research in Berlin), Stichting Art, Books and Collections and Stichting SSN Nijmegen.

  • Radboud University
  • Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
  • Museum het Valkhof
  • NWO, the Dutch Research Council (Alfa Meerwaarde)
  • De Ernst von Siemensstiftung
  • Stichting Art, Books and Collections
  • Stichting SSN Nijmegen

Contact information