Original leaf from a manuscript Book of Hours. 32 lines of red ruled text, written in French in angular gothic book-hand script on animal vellum. (178 x 125mm – 7 x 5’’)
Large illuminated “KL” initials (abbreviations for KALENDS) are in gold on a red ground with delicate gold penwork. Days are in gold, and Saints’ names and Feasts in gold, red, or blue.
France: Rouen, (Use of Rouen) c. 1470-90
January and February (recto) are completely surrounded by a floral and geometric border on red, blue and gold ground; March and April (verso) share a quarter floral and geometric border on blue and gold ground. Among the saints listed are: St. Paul (10 Jan.), St. Anthony (17 Jan.), St. Sebastian (20 Jan.), St. Julian (27 Jan.), St. Gilbert (4 Feb.), St. Agatha (5 Feb.), St. Dorothy (6 Feb.), St. Matthew (24 Feb.), St. Albinus (1 March). St. Gregory (12 March), St. Ambrose (4 April), St. Mary of Egypt (8 April), St. Helen (15 April), St. Peter (29 April).
To the left of the list of saints’ days are repeating series of letters A - G called Dominical Letters since they help find Sundays (after many calculations). At the 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.
Presented in an archival 14 x 11'' mat
