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illuminated manuscripts from the world’s
greatest libraries
The cabinet of wonders
Monday to Friday: 10 am to 9 pmSaturdayS: 10 am to 3 pmSundayS: closed
June 2013exhibition
Instituto Cervantes
7 − 15
The President of M. Moleiro Editor, Manuel Moleiro, is pleased to invite you on June 7
th 2013 to the opening of the exhibition:
Opening agenda, June 7th
6.30 pm: exhibition opening.
7.00 pm: inaugural lecture by elisa Ruiz, professor of palaeography and diplomatics, complutense university, madrid:
The isabella breviary: an exquisite symbol of power
(in spanish, with simultaneous interpretation in english)
Invitations for both the opening and the talk are very limited. To request an in-vitation, please contact Berenice Fernández at [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7193 4986. Seats will be reserved on a strict first come, first served basis.
illuminated manuscripts from the world’s
greatest libraries
The cabinet of wonders
June 7th, 7.00 pm: inaugural lecture by elisa Ruiz,
professor of palaeography and diplomatics, complutense university, madrid:
The isabella breviary: an exquisite symbol of power
(in spanish, with simultaneous interpretation in english)
Monday to Friday: 10 am to 9 pmSaturdayS: 10 am to 3 pmSundayS: closed
June 2013exhibition
free admission
7 − 15
illuminated manuscripts from the world’s
greatest libraries
The cabinet of wonders
inStituto cervanteS(102 eaton square, london sW1W 9an)
For more than twenty years, M. Molei-ro has been contributing to the con-servation and dissemination of the world’s book heritage by “cloning” veritable gems unani mously acclaimed as such and now housed in the world’s foremost museums and libraries. This exhibition is a unique opportunity to admire in a single place – the Instituto Cervantes of London – a selection of masterpieces that are the pride and joy of their distinguished custodians, many of which have close ties to the most sublime Brit ish artistic heritage, for some of these treasures are housed at the British Library.
On display are more than 20 works, identical clones of codices, maps and at-lases that reflect a long-gone era when the book, an exclusive item held in high esteem, had another dimension: a sym-bol of power. These manuscripts commis-sioned by emperors and monarchs were created to commemorate extraordinary events, or as gifts to an eternal (but al-most always fleeting) love, or as a symbol of economic and political power. Their manufacture was entrusted to the most renowned painters of the time, who en-
dowed their pages with their most mas-terful art.
These volumes cover many realms of culture and knowledge over the centu-ries ranging from religion and spiritual-ity to science, including alchemy, medi-cine and biology. Other tomes in our collection of cartography – also known as “the science of princes” – bear witness to the discovery of new lands at a time when the frontiers of the known world were being constantly pushed back.
This exhibition is also your chance to admire a large collection of biblio-graphic gems including the Hours of Hen-ry VIII, named after the king who aroused most passion in the entire history of Eng-land. Also on display is the “quasi-origi-nal” of the British Library’s most prized treasure, the Isabella Breviary, the most splendid breviary ever made for a Euro-pean monarch. Other codices from the most famous of all British libraries are the Hours of Joanna of Castile, the Tracta-tus de Herbis, the Golf Book and the Splen-dor Solis, which also chart an artistic and cultural path between the UK and Spain and other great centres of the European miniature of all time.
“The replica is visually indistinguishable from the original manuscript, from its vegetable parchment paper with the same texture, thickness, feel and even smell as the original, to the sewing pattern and goatskin and the paint used for the illuminations.”
Herald Tribune, December 7th 2010
“La maison d’édition espagnole Moleiro a inventé le concept de « presque original », plus adapté pour rendre compte du
travail artisanal extrêmement minutieux réalisé pour editer ces ouvrages plus proches du clone que du fac-similé.”
Le Monde, September 29th 2010
It is documented that the manu-script belonged to a series of later English kings. For instance, there is proof that between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it still be-longed to the library of George III (1738-1820).
Its author, Jean Poyer, had a rel-atively short career and his greatest masterpiece is without any doubt the Hours of Henry VIII. As the pages from the manuscript reveal, Poyer was a master colorist and a genius at com-
position and perspective. The lavish illustrations with radiant colours and remarkably dramatic force turn this manuscript into a peerless treasure.
The manuscript is bound in red velvet. Its clasps contain Henry VIII’s coat of arms (three fleur-de-lis quarterly 1 and 4, three lions passant guardant quarterly 2 and 3). They also contain his monogram H.8.R (Henricus Octavus Rex) and his fa-mous motto, Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense (Shame on him who evil thinks).
The Hours of Henry VIII (Morgan Library & Museum, New York)
This mid-15th century manuscript contains an alphabetical list of sim-ples: remedies derived from single natural resources. Each simple is captioned with the plant’s name and synonym, or a translation of its Ara-
bic name. A richly illustrated codex with practically no text such as this one may have been made for book collectors as well as for medicinal use.
Queen Isabella the Catholic’s most precious manuscript was commis-sioned to celebrate the discovery of the Americas as well as the marriage of her children to those of emperor Maximilian of Austria and duchess
Mary of Burgundy. Each of its pages has been masterfully illuminated by the finest Flemish painters, result-ing in a lavish manuscript of peer-less beauty.
The Isabella Breviary (British Library, London)
Tractatus de Herbis (British Library, London)
One of the most noteworthy atlases of the 16th century, contains formidable miniatures depicting the daily life of the native population at that period. It is a wonderful testimony of the Age
of Discovery, proving also that Aus-tralian territories were already dis-covered by Portuguese adventurers in the 16th century, 200 years before Captain’s Cook discovery trip.
The most beautiful treatise on al-chemy ever made, where the secrets of kabbalah, astrology and alchemic symbolism are revealed on twenty-
two folios with full-page illustrations transporting us to an incredible world.
The Vallard Atlas
(The Huntington Library, San Marino)
Splendor Solis (British Library, London)
Travesera de Gracia, 17-21
08021 Barcelona - Spain
Tel. +44 (0) 20 7193 4986 • Tel. (+34) 932 402 091
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The Hours of Henry VIII, f. 9r
