Original leaf from a manuscript Book of Hours. 12 lines of text, ruled in red, written in Latin with dark brown ink in gothic script on animal vellum. One two-line illuminated initial in blue with intricate red penwork extending along the margin. (113 x 84 mm – 4 5/8 x 3 ¼’’)
Italy, c. 1460.
The nine lessons from Job contain moving readings from Job detailing the trials he endured in his struggle for God’s blessings. The two-line illuminated “P” begins Lesson VIII – Job 19: 20-25: “Pelli…” (The flesh being consumed, my bone hath cleaved to my skin, and nothing but lips are left about my teeth. Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of the Lord hath touched me….).
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 that could both appreciate and afford them.
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