Breviary of Marie de Savoie (BM Chambéry Ms 4)

It is now preserved in the Municipal library of Chambéry, France.

• Name — Breviary of Marie of Savoy • Italic Title — no • Alternative Title S — Bréviaire de Marie de Savoie • Date — 1431–1438 • Patron — Marie of Savoy, Duchess of Milan • Manuscript S — BM Chambéry Ms 4 • Ascribed To — Master of the Vitae Imperatorum

The breviary was made for Marie of Savoy on occasion of her wedding with Filippo Maria Visconti, the Duke of Milan, in 1428; it appears not to have been finished before 1431–1438. The association with Mary is attested through the coat of arms that decorate the manuscript, and that carries the combined arms of the House of Savoy and the House of Visconti. Her name, together with that of her father (Amadeus VIII) and husband, furthermore appear in a short poem in the text (folio 319). Having a breviary made for such an occasion was unusual, normally a woman of Marie's status would have a decorated book of hours instead. Following the death of her husband, Marie returned to her native Chambéry, and apparently brought the book back with her. Thereafter, the traces of the book disappear for several centuries. It was rediscovered in the 1820s in the attic of the castle of the Dukes of Savoy, under rubble and piles of paper. However it may have ended up there, the rubble protected the book from pillage, war, dust and humidity. After its rediscovery, it was brought to the Municipal library of Chambéry some time around 1828, and has since been preserved there. The book was restored to a cost of over 5,000 euros in 2024, ahead of being lent to the Louvre for an exposition centred around the painter Jan van Eyck. After its return to Chambéry, it was then also displayed to the public in the city during the European Heritage Days in September 2024. The city of Chambéry indicated that the book would have to be in storage for at least five years following these exhibitions.