Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. Red-ruled for 15 lines of text, written in Latin with dark brown ink, on animal vellum. (197 x 138mm).
The text is surrounded on 3 sides with an elegant rinceaux panel border in a delicate floral motif with ivy leaves in red, blue, green, orange and burnished gold. One illuminated bar extending beyond the length of the text in red, blue and burnished gold.
Northern France (Paris), c. 1420-40.
The text continues the Obsecro Te - a favorite Medieval prayer: ''Gloriosissima...'' (most glorious, Mother of orphans, consolation of the desolate, way of the straying, health & hope of those hoping in thee, virgin before giving birth, virgin during birth, & virgin after giving birth. I beseech thee font of mercy, font of grace & well-being, font of piety & joy, font of consolation & indulgence. I beseech thee through that holy ineffable joy in which thy spirit rejoiced at that hour when the Son of God was announced to thee by the Archangel Gabriel & was conceived, & through the divine mystery worked by the Holy Spirit, & through that holy ineffable grace, piety, mercy, love & humility by which the Son of God descended to accept human flesh in thy most venerable womb & which He saw in thee when He commended thee to St. John the apostle & evangelist, & when He exalted thee over the choirs of angels, & through that holy ineffable humility with which thou didst respond to the Archangel Gabriel, ''Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done according to thy word.''...).
Shipped in archival 14x11'' mat.
