Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 15 lines of red-ruled Latin text, in dark brown ink, on animal vellum. (197 x 138mm)
One three-line illuminated initial in blue with delicate white penwork & an interior floral design in red and blue on a burnished gold ground and extending into the margin in a delicate rinceaux design; ten one-line illuminated initials & nine illuminated line-extenders in burnished gold on red & blue ground with delicate white penwork.
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 & burnished gold; an illuminated bar extends beyond the length of the text in red, blue & burnished gold.
Northern France (Paris), c. 1420-40.
The one-line illuminated ''B'' begins Psalm 124 (King James 125) 4-5: ''Benefac...'' (Do good, O Lord, to those that are good, & to the upright of heart...).
The three-line illuminated ''I'' begins Psalm 125 (KJ 126) complete: ''In convertendo...'' (When the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became like men comforted. Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy. Then shall they say among the Gentiles: The Lord hath done great things for them...).
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
