Original leaf from a printed & hand-illuminated Book of Hours. Ruled Latin text (French beneath side panels) printed in black on animal vellum. (168x105mm).
Initials & line-endings illuminated by hand in gold, blue and/or red. Noted for its DECORATIVE BORDERS - the paneled surrounds are historiated or inhabited forms - executed by Philippe Pigouchet.
Published by Simon Vostre in Paris (Use of Rouen) c. 1506.
The side panels include a shepherd with his sheep, and Faith & Hope - two of the Seven Virtues.
This leaf continues the Suffrages of the Saints. Suffrages attest to the deep personal connection between saints and ordinary people.
Interior panel depicts Saint Genevieve (patron Saint of Paris). The text next to the panel of St. Genevieve begins: '''De sancta genovesa...''' (Of Saint Genevieve. O happy servant of God...).
Books of Hours are personal prayer books of a devout & status-conscious society - not only works of art, but cultural documents of their time. They reveal a unique combination of sacred secular imagery - made of the finest materials, by the best craftsmen, for a small audience that could both appreciate & afford them.
Shipped in archival 14x11'' mat.
