With pages displaying astounding plays of naturalistic illusionism, the luxurious personal prayer book known as the Spinola Hours is one of the most visually sophisticated Flemish manuscripts of the 16th century. A book of hours contains a calendar of Church holidays, the Hours of the Virgin (a cycle of prayer services devoted to the Virgin Mary), the Office for the Dead and other prayers, hymns and readings, all richly illuminated as seen in the page reproduced here.
