Possible patrons/intended owners There have been numerous attempts to identify the book's patron and original intended owner. It has been speculated that the patron and destinee was
Isabella of France, wife of
Edward II, or that the book may have been made for one of their daughters,
Joan of the Tower. Other scholars have speculated that
Philippa of Hainault, wife of
Edward III, son of Isabella and Edward II, was the original intended owner. Illustrations of a crowned woman are featured on four different pages of the book (ff. 7r, 18r, 118v, and 139r), serving as the initial indication of a royal patron and/or recipient. The quality of illustrations and impressive materials such as gold leaf also point to an aristocratic patronage. The Taymouth Hours is one of two English books of hours made between 1240 and 1350 with links to royal patronage; thus it exemplifies a higher level of craftsmanship compared to other books of hours assumed to have been owned by affluent, secular individuals. The most puzzling piece of the question of patronage and intended ownership is the inclusion of two illustrations that depict crowned women kneeling in prayer, each with a male companion: one of the men is bare-headed while the other wears a crown.
Isabella of France Previous scholarship has traditionally hypothesised that Isabella of France was the patron due, in part, to evidence of or arguments for her ownership and patronage of various other illuminated manuscripts. The proposed dating of the book falls within Isabella's reign as Queen of England.
Philippa of Hainault Kathryn Smith makes the case that
Philippa of Hainault, wife of
Edward III, was the patron of the Taymouth Hours, instead. She argues that Philippa had the book made sometime c. 1331 not for herself, but rather as a "betrothal gift" for her sister-in-law,
Eleanor of Woodstock. In 1331, while still living at the English court, Eleanor was betrothed to
Reginald II, Duke of Guelders. Smith's hypothesis derives, in part, from her analysis of Philippa's relationship to Eleanor prior to her marriage to Reginald. Philippa had been Eleanor's guardian since 1328. Eleanor's betrothal and marriage were arranged beginning in 1330 by her brother, Edward III, in an effort to advance his political connections to the Low Countries; the union also may have been aided by Philippa's mother,
Jeanne de Valois (also known as Joan of Valois), wife of
William I, Count of Hainaut. Eleanor and Reginald were wed in May of 1332. Smith also builds her hypothesis on analyses of the "portraits" in the manuscript, especially the crowned and wimpled woman wearing a translucent veil and the uncrowned man portrayed at Matins of the Holy Spirit (fol. 18r), figures which, Smith hypothesises, were intended to represent Eleanor of Woodstock and Reginald II of Guelders; and the crowned, wimpled woman and crowned man shown in the 'bas-de-page' at Matins of the Cross (fol. 118v); Smith suggests that these figures were meant to represent Philippa of Hainault and Edward III. One of Smith's main textual sources is an entry in Philippa's Wardrobe Book of the Household from October 1331, which records a payment to the artist
Richard of Oxford. The entry notes Philippa's payment for two Books of Hours. Smith proposes that the Taymouth Hours might have been one of these books, and that this dated entry supports the theory that Philippa commissioned the Taymouth Hours as a "betrothal gift" for Eleanor. While Smith argues that the manuscript was intended for Eleanor, she maintains that it is "unknown" whether Eleanor "actually took possession of" it. == Purpose ==