New! Visitation – Jean Bourdichon – Book of Hours – Beautiful Catholic Art – Archival Qualtiy

It’s still the late Middle Ages, but you don’t know that. It’s a vibrant time, which people will later also call the Renaissance, but for you, they are just the days you live in. You are a pious and devout soul. You are also Anne of Brittany, the queen of France. You love praying. You love how God stirs your heart when you draw close to him.

You commissioned the artist Jean Bourdichon to make you a book of the hours, a personal, illustrated prayer book, an abbreviated breviary. You smile when you look at this picture of Mary and Elizabeth. In the right mood, on certain days, your own soul magnifies the Lord, and your spirit rejoices in God your savior. Your imagination takes you into the scene, and you are with your friends, giving glory to God.

The Latin at the bottom is, “Blessed are you, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Mary in her modesty is blushing, and she will immediately turn the praise to God with her Magnificat.

Jean Bourdichon (1457–1521), was a court painter for the kings of France. He did many paintings and church decorations sent as gifts across Eurpoe to popes and kings, but the  miniature Book of Hours he did for Anne is his most famous and popular work. Grandes Herures d'Anne de Bretagne. C. 1503-1508. Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France. MS Latin 9474, fol. 36v.

Our version of this image is copyrighted because it took us considerable time to restore the image. The original had a lot of water spots, dirt, flakes, and other imperfections. We carefully removed those, especially the ones on Mary. We worked to bring this closer to what we believe it looked like when it was new. And that's why it's copyrighted, because the worker is worth his wage. :) Praise be to God for giving us this work and the skills to do it, and for bringing people like you here who love beautiful old Catholic art. Thank you for your interest.

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a blank border around the image. Approximately 0.5" wide for 5x7, 1.3" for 8.5x11, 1.6" for 11x14, and 1.75" for 13x17 and 16x20. For the two poster sizes, 18x24 and 24x36, we use 0.5" borders. We do this because the ratio of the rectangle of the art almost never matches the rectangle of the paper, and if it did happen to match one size, it would not match the others. Most fine art printers do this because otherwise they’d have to crop the art or warp it to make it fit the paper. The border looks good. It gives the picture a faux matted appearance.

There is almost always a little more border either on the left-right sides, or the top-bottom, depending on whether the ratio of the art is wider or taller than the paper. 

We make Archival Quality fine art prints: 
– Acid-free paper
– Archival pigments 
– Cardboard backer for sizes 11x14 and less. 
– Above story of the art
– Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal-clear bag.
– Rated to last 200+ years without fading if kept dry and out of the direct sun.

Thanks for your interest!

+JMJ+
Sue & John
Lincoln, Nebraska

“In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art.”
~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and any image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by www.CatholicArtAndJewelry.com.