Original pair of continuous leaves from a Spanish Antiphonal on animal parchment. Overall dimensions: 19 x 27.5 inches (Each leaf: 480 x 350mm – 19 x 13 ¾’’)
The manuscript text and music (seven lines of music on a five-line stave) were beautifully executed by hand over 500 years ago!!! Spain, c. 1500.
This is the center pair of leaves from a quire, thus the text is continuous and can be read from the recto of the first leaf to the verso, then to the recto of the second leaf and finally to its verso. Scarce, that can only happen on the center bifolium. The two joined leaves impart the feeling and appearance of an open medieval book !
Two illuminated initials alternating in blue with delicate red penwork, and red with delicate violet penwork - both extending into the margin; four exceptional knot-work (cadel) initials in black ink heightened with yellow.
This pair of leaves contains prayers for the Feast of John the Baptist. The knot-work "E" begins Luke 1:12: “Et Zacharias…” (And Zachary seing him, was troubled, and fear fell upon him).
The knot-work “G” begins the Glory Be “Glorie…” (Glory be to the Father…).
The illuminated “I” begins part of Luke 9, 11: “Ingresso…” (When Zachary entered the temple of the Lord there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense).
The illuminated “E” begins: “Elisabeth…” (Elizabeth [the wife] of Zachary, gave birth to a great man, John the Baptist, the precursor of Christ).
As is usual with Medieval and Renaissance parchment, the hair side of the leaf is darker than the flesh side, but may take ink somewhat better. The differences in tone caused scribes to arrange their quires so that the hair side of one sheet faced the hair side of the next, and the flesh side faced the flesh side.
Antiphonals contain chants for the canonical hours of the Divine Office: first vespers or the vigil of great feasts, matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, vespers and compline.
