August calendar leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 16 lines of red ruled text, in French on animal vellum. (200x145mm).
Illuminated borders with each side containing a pink vase sprouting flowers, & having other floral & berries & ivy leaves in burnished gold. Major feast days are in red (origin of term ‘red-letter day’) & gold!
Large illuminated ''KL'' initials (abbreviation for KALENDS) are in blue & white with floral interior on a burnished gold ground.
France, c. 1450.
The roundel (bottom recto) contains a miniature painting of the zodiacal symbol (per the 1450 calendar) of Virgo.
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 appropriate calculations). At the far left is an odd 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.
