Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 14 lines, of red-ruled Latin in dark brown ink, written in fine gothic lettre batarde script on animal vellum.
SIZE: 115 x 85mm – 4.5 x 3.25 inches
France, probably Loire Valley, c. 1460.
One two-line initial in blue with gold tracery on a sepia ground with gold floral pen-work; eight one-line initials and five line-extenders in gold on alternating blue and red ground with gold highlights. Rinceaux panel border decoration with burnished gold ivy leaves and a floral motif (including strawberries – symbol of perfect righteousness) in tempera.
The two-line “C” begins Psalm 97 (King James 98) 1-5: “Cantata…” (Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: because he hath done wonderful things. His right hand hath wrought for him salvation, and his arm is holy. The Lord hath made known his salvation: he hath revealed his justice in the sight of the Gentiles. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel. All ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Sing joyfully to God, all the earth…).
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.
Shipped unmatted
