"A book of hours is a collection of Christian prayers for recitation at different times, 'hours', of the day. Intended for individual use at home, they were simplified versions of the eight periods of daily prayer observed by monks and nuns, from matins in the morning to compline at night ... The 'Bedford book of hours' is an outstanding work of late medieval manuscript art. It was [i.e. some pages were] produced for the wedding of John, Duke of Bedford, to Anne of Burgundy on 13 May 1423. Portraits of the bride and groom, dressed in their elegant court clothes, appear in its pages"--British Library.