c 1500 Book of Hours Leaf - Matthew writing Gospel

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Original leaf from a French medieval illuminated manuscript Book of Hours. 13 lines of hand-ruled text written in Latin with dark brown ink in fine lettre bâtarde script on animal vellum with rubrics in red. One two-line illuminated initial in blue and red on burnished gold ground. The text is surrounded by an intricate floral border in red, blue, green on a liquid gold ground. One six-line miniature painting of St. Matthew writing his Gospel.          

Origin:  Paris, France circa 1500.

Size:  110 x 75mm – 4.25 x 2.9 inches, from a diminutive manuscript likely written for a lady.                            

The miniature painting (verso) depicts St. Matthew seated at a lectern with pen in hand, wearing red and gold robes,  writing his Gospel while his attribute, an angel with blue wings and golden robe, stands to his left.

Line two of the text, recto, concludes the Second Gospel Lesson – Luke  1:35-38: “Et respondens…” (And the angel answering, said to her:  The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God). The text, verso, beneath the miniature opens the Third Gospel Lesson – Matthew 2:1 “Cum natus esset…” (When Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem…).

Provenance:   ex-collection of Brooklyn Museum of Art, acquired in 1919.  Deaccessioned and sold to support the museum collection.

Nice Antiquarian conition - thin areas in vellum in lower floral border.

Shipped unmatted

  • Inventory# IM-13147
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