William Hastings Book of Hours (1475-1483); pigments and gold on vellum. The manuscript is attributed to
the Master of the First Prayer Book of Maximillian I.
Currently located at the British Library.
This Book of Hours was owned by William, Lord Hastings, who was a staunch supporter of the House of York and considered the richest man in England in the late 15th century. Hastings continued his support with Edward IV’s eldest son (Edward V) – one of the princes in the tower – following the former’s death. Hastings’ support of Edward V over that of the Duke of
Gloucester (future Richard III) cost him his life. In 1483, he was arrested and charged for treason and summarily beheaded.
This Book of Hours is considered one of the achievements of Flemish manuscript illumination. It’s primarily treasured because of the superb quality of its border decorations. Scholars speculate that this Book of Hours may not have originally been owned by Hastings since his coat of arms appear to overlap another image.
▪Decorated Text Page.
Culture: German
Place of origin: Westphalia, Germany
Date: ca. 1500 – 1505
Medium: Tempera colors, gold paint, and ink on parchment
Thanks to everyone for their patience! We are proud to announce that a PDF version of “Knocked For Six: A Raffles Zine” is now available via Gumroad.
“Knocked For Six” is a queer-friendly zine celebrating Raffles and Bunny’s relationship. The title of this project is an expression that means “taken by surprise”; we chose it because, along with having its origins in AJ’s amateur sport of cricket, we think it’s fitting for the relationship between the two amateur cracksmen who constantly surprise one another with their skill, cleverness, loyalty, and pluck.
The digital version is free to download. Regarding physical copies of the zine, we will be accepting and processing pre-order forms in the new year (January 2018). Please keep an eye on notices from this blog for further details.
A Pretty Taste for Paradox 