Original leaf from an exceptionally large and costly medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 14 lines of text, ruled in red, written in Latin with dark brown ink in gothic script on animal vellum. (210 x 145mm) .
One two-line illuminated initial, eight one-line illuminated initials and four illuminated line-extenders in burnished gold on red and blue ground with delicate white penwork. The miniature paintings from this book were painted in the style of the Master of the Harvard Hannibal.
Northern France, c. 1430.
The one-line illuminated ''R'' begins Psalm 50 (King James 51) 14-21: ''Redde...'' (I will teach the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted to thee. Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall extol thy justice. O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my mouth shall declare thy praise...).
The two-line illuminated ''D'' opens Psalm 101 (KJ 102): ''Domine...'' (Hear, O Lord, my prayer: and let my cry come to thee).
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.
