Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 14 lines, of red-ruled Latin in dark brown ink, written in fine gothic script on animal vellum. (103 x 73mm – 4 x 2 3/8’’) Considerable devotional wear and some chips and tears along edges.
England, c. 1440 (likely Syon Abbey, by a member of the Bridgettine Order).
One exceptional historiated five-line illuminated initial in green and blue with white penwork and having an internal miniature painting of All Saints. Christ is depicted standing with golden rays holding an Orb in left hand and blessing the gathered saints with his right hand. The initial continues into the margin in a beautiful floral design with a lion-like head holding floral stems in mouth – in colors of blue, pink, green, and burnished gold.
The historiated initial begins: “Succurrite michi…” (Hasten to help me, all saints of God…).
Books of Hours are personal prayerbooks 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.
Shipped unmatted
