Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 16 lines of ruled text, written in German, with dark brown and red ink on animal vellum. (103 x 80mm - 4 1/8 x 3 1/8'')
Full page miniature painting of a Bishop Saint Wolfgang surrounded by a vibrant border bar of red, blue, and green segments. Beautiful and unusual rounded German gothic script. German Books of Hours are very rare!
Germany, probably Augsburg, c. 1490.
The exceptionally well executed full page miniature painting depicts Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg (934-994). Patron Saint of Bavaria, Hungary, & carpenters; 10th century Benedictine Bishop of Regensburg; monk, missionary and educator; feast day October 31st. He wears a mitre, and holds his attributes: a crosier in his right hand and an ax in his left. Legend says he threw his ax and where it landed is where God intended he build his church – which he accomplished by tricking the devil into building it.
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 that could both appreciate and afford them.
Presented in an archival 14 x 11'' mat
