Description
Constellation, Marjoke Schulten. One of the 40 miniatures in het book.
Seasons of Life is the first edition of what may become a long tradition. Every so many years we hope to release a new edition with contributions from pilgrims who have walked the route.
This first book was released at the opening of the Walk of Wisdom in 2015. Our ambassadors of the first hour – the symbolic frontrunners – contributed to this book. They include Désanne van Brederode, Tommy Wieringa, Herman Wijffels, Inez van Oord and Jan Terlouw. They wrote a page about an experience that made them a little wiser or still inspires them.
Publisher: Intermedi-Art Kunstzaken
Background
Seasons of Life is a contemporary version of the medieval books of hours. Today Christianity is no longer the connecting community that it once was for many people in the Middle Ages. There is a new, global community in which several religions coexist on an equal basis, as well as people who have nothing to do with religion. What connects that community? How can you shape your life in the midst of so many impressions? An ongoing search has started that we want to support with the Book of Hours.
Books of Hours
Historically, Christian monasteries prayed at fixed hours. Those hours are called tides; they give structure to the monastic life. In medieval Europe, non-religious people became familiar with the rhythm of these tides: the monasteries were everywhere and the monks invariably rang the bells before prayer. Pious citizens often said a short prayer when they heard these bells (the vow) and rich noblemen started to publish personal prayer selections. This led to lay versions of the complex prayer series of the monks: the books of hours.
Nijmegen city of tides
Nijmegen has long been the city of Books of Hours. The three Limbourg Brothers, who grew up in Nijmegen, made richly illustrated prayer selections in the Middle Ages commissioned by noblemen. The books are probably the most valuable export products that Nijmegen has ever produced. The Belles Heures and Très Riches Heures are an integral part of top collections of the New York Metropolitan Museum and the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris. They are worth millions of euros each.
Popular and special edition
There are two editions of Seasons of Life: a popular edition with reproductions of the miniatures and a single, special edition with all original miniatures. The latter is on display in the Stevenskerk and on sale at a starting price of € 15,000, – on the condition that it will remain on view for the public permanently in the church.
The picture above comes from the Medieval Book of Hours Les Belles Heures and was made by the Limbourg Brothers from Nijmegen as commissioned by the Duc de Berry. More information at the Gebroeders van Limburg foundation website.
Miniatures
Elyzeese Velden by Siemen Dijkstra
The 40 miniatures in the book portray universal themes. They are small paintings in A5 format that were commissioned especially for this book by Intermedi-Art Kunstzaken.
This popular edition contains reproductions of the miniatures. The original or first prints are also bundled in a unique edition. This unique edition is exhibited in the Stevenskerk, next to the statue of our pilgrimage. It is on sale starting at 15,000 euros. The proceeds go to the foundations Stevenskerk and Walk of Wisdom.
Follow-up prints of the miniatures are available from the publisher. Ten percent of the proceeds go to the Walk of Wisdom foundation.
Contact us for a private viewing of the miniatures or the unique edition of the book of hours via this link.
Summer by Gerrie Dobbelaer
The ‘cloud’ – Gea Karhof
Spring, by Ada Dispa
Judith Krebbekx
Annunciation, by Peter van Poppel
Pillow, by Patricia van de Camp
Albert Greving
Ardi Brouwer
Quo Vadis, Peter de Haan
Elyzeese Velde, by Siemen Dijkstra
Butterflies, by Marjoke Schulten
Shipping costs
Shipping costs within the Netherlands are € 4.50 and € 6.95 outside the Netherlands. The book can be purchased free of extra charge at the Stevenskerk (start and end route) and at the bookshops Dekker van de Vegt and Augustinus in Nijmegen.
Discount
Pilgrims signing up for a Walk of Wisdom can buy the book at discount, and pay € 17.75 (+ € 0.75 extra shipping costs) instead of € 19.90.
