The Book of Hours
The artwork within a 15th-century medieval masterpiece is revealed, enhanced, and interpreted in the enchanting interfaces of this Web site and installation.
This interactive kiosk and Web site were unveiled as part of the Speed Art Museum’s exhibition A Book of Prayers: The Medieval Bestseller. An excellent example of one of the most popular books of the Middle Ages, the Speed’s Book of Hours represents late medieval painting at its best. With sixteen beautifully rendered miniatures, every page is meticulously decorated with painted flowers or birds and curling ivy vines accented in gold leaf. Through a unique astronomy-inspired interface museum visitors and Web site users can explore many of the pages within the book. Visitors can zoom in on every detail of the illuminated manuscript, and interpretive insight is displayed in the animated marginalia where visitors can link and learn about the artists, artwork, techniques, and iconography of a Book of Hours.