The Sforza Hours, a small volume designed for private devotion, is one of the most lavishly illustrated books of the Renaissance. It was illuminated first in Milan around 1490 and later in Ghent after 1504. In all there are 64 full page miniatures and 140 pages with small miniatures and borders. The British Museum acquired the main portion of the book of hours in 1893. The calendar leaf for October is part of a significant portion stolen soon after its completion by a renegade friar and it is the third leaf to be recovered. The leaf is illustrated in colour in the AR.
Item Provenance
Possibly with Charles Fairfax Murray; Bernard Breslauer, (dealer), New York