Painted Prayers cover

Painted Prayers

by Roger S. Wieck

In Painted Prayers, the two key elements of Books of Hours are explored: the glorious illuminations and the texts. 107 color plates reproduce stellar pages from Books of Hours that range from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries and come from all the major manuscript-producing countries of Europe: France, Belgium, The Netherlands, England, Italy, and Spain. Mr. Wieck's text offers explanations and translations of key passages from the various "Hours," psalms, Gospel lessons, hymns, litanies, and private prayers found in a typical Book of Hours. The Book of Hours is explored from illuminated manuscripts to the early printed editions of the same texts, leading us from the piety of the Gothic era into the culture of the Renaissance.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?