Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 14 lines of Latin gothic textura script in dark brown and red ink on animal vellum. (180 x 125mm) .
One illuminated two-line initial seven illuminated one-line initials and five line-extenders in burnished gold on a red & blue ground with delicate white tracery. Delicate rinceaux border in burnished gold, red, pink, green and blue.
Northern France or French Flanders, c. 1450.
The two-line illuminated ''D'' begins Psalm 22 (King James 23) 1-6: ''Dominus...'' (The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over...).
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.
Shipped in archival 14x11'' mat.
