Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 18 lines of red ruled text, written in Latin, with dark brown ink in gothic script on animal vellum.(178 x 110mm – 7 x 4 5/8’’)
Two illuminated two-line initials, thirteen illuminated one-line initials, & two illuminated line-extenders in burnished gold on blue and red grounds with delicate white tracery. Quarter-page panel-borders contain an intricate floral motif with acanthus leaves, berries and flowers in temperas and brushed gold.
Paris, c. 1450-60.
The two-line illuminated “N” is a scribal error and should be a “D” which begins begins Psalm 109 (King James 110) complete: “Dixit…” (The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand: Until I make thy enemies thy footstool…).
The two-line illuminated “L” begins Psalm 112 (KJ 113) 1-7: “Laudate…” (Praise the Lord, ye children: praise ye the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord, from henceforth now and forever. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is worthy of praise. The Lord is high above all nations; and he glory above the heavens…).
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, which could both appreciate and afford them.
Presented in an archival 14 x 11'' mat
