Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. Red-ruled for 15 & 16 lines of text, written in French in angular batarde script with dark brown ink, on animal vellum. (108x78mm).
Major feast days in red (origin of term ‘red-letter day’). Large illuminated ''KL'' initials (for KALENDS) are in red with delicate deep blue penwork.
Northern France, Use of Amiens, c. 1430-50 – likely written for a noblewoman.
Among the feasts listed are St. Nicomedes (1st), St. Boniface (5th) - patron saint of brewers and tailors, St. Valerian (13th), St. John the Baptist (24th), and Sts John and Paul (26th).
Left of the saints’ days are repeating letters A - G called Dominical Letters since they help find Sundays. Far left is a column of Roman numerals i - xix called Golden Numbers to indicate appearances of new moons, & counting ahead 14 days, full moons throughout the year (year + 1; divide by 19; remainder is Golden Number - if zero GN = 19). Finally: each month had 3 fixed points: Kalends (1st day) Ides (middle) & Nones (9th day before Ides). All days in between were counted backwards from these points.
Shipped in archival 14x11'' mat.
