Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 15 lines of red-ruled Latin text, in dark brown ink, on animal vellum. (197 x 138mm)
One two-line illuminated initial in pink with delicate white penwork & an interior floral design in red, orange and blue on a burnished gold ground; eight one-line illuminated initials & eight illuminated line-extenders in burnished gold on red & blue ground with delicate white penwork.
The text is surrounded on 3 sides with an elegant rinceaux panel border in a delicate floral motif with ivy leaves in red, blue, green, orange & burnished gold; an illuminated bar extends beyond the length of the text in red, blue & burnished gold. Northern France (Paris), c. 1420-40.
The one-line illuminated ''Q'' begins Psalm 137 (King James 138) 6-8: ''Quoniam...'' For the Lord is high, and looketh on the low: and the high he knoweth afar off...).
The two-line illuminated ''M'' begins The Magnificat - Luke 1: 46-50: ''Magnificat anima...'' (My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because he that is mighty hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. and his mercy is from generation unto generation...).
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.
Presented in an archival 14 x 11'' mat
