The Book of Hours of Charles VIII is one of the most lavish examples of Renaissance book production from France, specifically Paris. The incunable, also known as Libro de Horas de Carlos VIII, was published and illuminated in the late 15th century and featuring 190 small format miniatures, over 200 decorated marginal borders, and 44 beautifully illuminated full-page miniatures, it is justly considered a masterpiece of Renaissance.
There seems to be no doubt who is the artist behind the iconography of the work, that is the Master of Jacques of Besançon. The Master of Jacques of Besançon, identified as François Barbier seems to have painted all the miniatures with the exception of the head of the ruler on f. 13v which was retouched at a later date to resemble the portrait of Louis XII.
Currently treasured in the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid, Spain, the life of the Hours of Charles VIII seems to be accounted for from about a century after its production. Indeed, it appears that Louis XIII, King of France (1601-1643), gave this codex as a gift to a Spanish figure, the ambassador of France or the confessor of Queen Anne of Austria.
It later belonged to a count of Peñaranda and a marquis of Mejorada, before finally joining the collection of the National Library in 1708.