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tia is both a culturally distinct and yet profoundly Western European component of the rich ensemble which constitutes Europe (…). (…) diversity is in the ¿rst place dictated by geography, located as she is in the immediate zone of contact between the East and the West, between Northern Europe and the lands of the Mediterranean. (…) Croatia brought together the heritage of the Roman Em-pire (…). (…) she has absorbed (…) contributions from her Carolingian, Byzantine, Venetian and South Italian, Pannonian and, above all, Hunga-rian neighbours. (…) Pope Paul VI was able to say that she belongs to the ”territories of encounters and dialogue” (Engl. text cited Irom Volume One p. VII Engl. ed.).

Ivan Supek a ZorldZide acknoZledged physi-cist and the ¿rst president oI the revived Croatian Academy oI Sciences and Arts reminds us oI the integration oI tZo cultures – the universal (Latin) and the authentic Croatian and oI our contribution to the European culture arts and sciences: While Galileo, Descartes and Huygens reduced all phe-nomena to the collision or meeting of particles of matter, a signi¿cant number of Croatian human-ists, especially Grisogono, Petriãeviü (Patricius), de Dominis and Boãkoviü, hinted at the principle of force as the true architect of the universe, the ¿rst three thus anticipating Newton and the fourth anticipating quantum theory (Engl. text cited Irom Volume One p. 6 Engl. ed.).

So Iar Iour volumes have been published in the Croatian language: Rano doba hrvatske kulture

(Volume I 1997) – Croatia in the Early Middle Ages: A Cultural Survey (Volume One in English 1999); Srednji vijek i renesansa (Volume II 2000) – Croatia in the Late Middle Ages and the Renais-sance: A Cultural Survey (Volume TZo in English 2008); Barok i prosvjetiteljstvo (Engl. BaroTue and Enlightenment) (Volume III 2003); Moderna hrvatska kultura (Engl. Modern Croatian culture) (Volume IV 2009); Zhilst the ¿nal ¿Ith volume entitled Suvremena hrvatska kultura (Engl. Con-temporary Croatian culture) Zill – in a special Zay – mark the important jubilee oI the highest scienti¿c and artistic institution in the Republic oI Croatia.

In addition to the Croatian edition tZo vol-umes have so Iar been published in French: Cro-atie. Trésors de la Croatie ancienne (Volume I 1999); and Croatie. Trésors du Moyen Âge et de la Renaissance (Volume II 2005) and Iurther tZo in English: Croatia in the Early Middle Ages: A Cultural Survey (Volume One 1999); and Croatia in the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance: A Cultural Survey (Volume TZo 2008). In 2011 the year oI the celebration the publication oI the third volume in both French and English is planned. On the occasion marking the 150 th anniversary oI the Academy the deluxe edition oI the so-called

Strossmayer Hours Zill be published; this is a rare and – Zithin the IrameZork oI the Croatian art heritage – an exceptionally valuable and a Zell pre-served Zork oI the 15 th -century book illumination. Bishop Strossmayer had oZned this manuscript pearl since 1877 Zhen it Zas purchased in Rome by canon Nikola Voršak Irom Ĉakovo the Bishop¶s IaithIul correspondent and one oI the most impor-tant mediators Ior the acTuisition oI the Zorks oI art Ior the Bishop¶s collection.

Josip Juraj Strossmayer had donated the Strossmayer Hours to the Gallery at its Iestive opening on 9 November 1884. On that occasion in his inaugural speech he mentioned all the most distinguished Zorks oI art and art schools particu-larly pointing out the Strossmayer Hours by shoZ-ing it to the guests and naming it “the pearl in the collection”.

The Strossmayer Hours is characterised by the abundance oI miniatures bordures and gold. This illuminated manuscript Zas ordered and created in Paris in the last decade oI the 15 th century. The majority oI illuminations in the Strossmayer Hours Zere entrusted to the Master oI JacTues de Be-sanoon an outstandingly productive artist Zhose school had dominated the Parisian book illumina-tion scene in the last tZo decades oI the 15 th cen-tury. The illuminations in the calendar section may on the other hand be described as being similar to the hand oI the Master oI Charles the Eight named aIter the Royal Book oI Hours Zhich in Iorm imi-tates the structure oI the printed one.

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