IM-13618: Original leaf from a Medieval illuminated manuscript Book of Hours. 12 lines of text, ruled in red, written in Latin with dark brown ink in gothic script on animal vellum.
Italy, c. 1460.
Size: 113 x 84 mm – 4 5/8 x 3 ¼ inches.
One elaborate two-line illuminated initial in red with intricate violet penwork extending into the margin; eight one-line illuminated initials alternating in red and blue.
The two-line illuminated “B” begins Psalm 127 (King James 128) complete: “Beati omnes…” (Blessed are all they that fear the Lord: that walk in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labors of thy hands: blessed art thou, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife as a fruitful vine, on the sides of thy house. Thy children as olive plants, round about thy table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. May the Lord bless thee out of Sion: and mayst thou see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. And mayst thou see thy children’s children, peace upon Israel).
Books of Hours are personal prayer books of a devout and status-conscious society and are not only works of art, but cultural documents of their time. They reveal a unique combination of sacred and secular imagery - made of the finest materials, by the best craftsmen, for a small audience that could both appreciate and afford them.
Medieval Italian Books of Hours are scarcer than French or Flemish ones. Nice antiquarian condition with a small hole in the penultimate line.
Shipped unmatted
