IM-13617: Original leaf from a Medieval illuminated manuscript Book of Hours. 14 lines of hand-ruled text written in Latin with dark brown ink in fine Gothic script on animal vellum.
Origin: Flanders, circa 1475.
Size: 90 x 67mm – 3 ½ x 2 5/8 inches, from a diminutive manuscript likely written for a lady.
One two-line illuminated initial in liquid gold on red ground with red penwork and a floral design into the margin in green, blue and gold; four one-line illuminated initials in liquid gold on alternating red and blue ground.
Line one continues the prayer: “templum…” (O blessed Mary mother of God, perpetual virgin, temple of our Lord, the sacred place of the Holy Spirit: thou alone without example, didst please our Lord Jesus Christ: pray for the people, be a mean for the clergy…).
The two-line illuminated “D” begins the prayer: “Deus qui…” (O God, Thou hast willed that at the message of an angel Thy Word should take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary; grant to Thy suppliant people, that we, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with Thee. Through Christ our Lord.…).
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.
Shipped unmatted
