Two treasured Books of Hours from the collection of The Archive of the Jesuits in Canada are on display at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on display at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts until January 6th, 2019. Following years of scholarly research at the Jesuit Archives and other repositories, Brenda Dunn-Lardeau has curated a stunning exhibition and published a catalogue raisonné (in French). With detailed information about Books of Hours in Quebec collections and vivid illustrations, the catalogue would make a fine Christmas gift for those interested in religious iconography and devotion. The MMFA held a related colloquium on September 28th, including a presentation by book conservator, Geneviève Samson titled Les reliures de type gothique providing a detailed analysis of the precious original 15th century bindings that have survived to this day on the books loaned by our Archives.
Excellent press coverage can be found at these links:
- Pocket-sized piety: At a Montreal exhibit, medieval manuscripts speak volumes about books in the present (The Globe and Mail)
- Miniatures enluminures au MBAM (Le Devoir)
- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts illuminates medieval books of hours (The Montreal Gazette)
