c 1450-75 Book of Hours Calendar Leaf for August

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Original leaf from a manuscript Book of Hours. 17 lines of red ruled text written in French on animal vellum. (184 x 125mm – 7 ¼ x 4 7/8’’) 

The panel borders contain a highly decorative floral design with flowers, berries and acanthus leaves in blue, red, green, pink, and burnished gold. Major feast days are in gold, blue or red (origin of term ‘red-letter day’). Large “KL” initials (for KALENDS) are in burnished gold on a red and blue ground with delicate white penwork.  

France (Anjou), Use of Angers, c. 1450-75.

Among the feasts listed are St. Peter the Apostle (1st – Patron Saint of Fisherman), St. Dominic (5th - Patron saint of astronomers), St. Lawrence (10th – Schoolchildren and Librarians), St. Bartholomew (24th – Patron Saint of Winegrowers, Salt and Cheese). St. Louis IX King of France (25th),  St. Augustine of Hippo (28th – Patron Saint of Theologians) and St. John the Baptist (29th).

Left of the saints’ days are repeating letters A - G called Dominical Letters since they help find Sundays. 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.

Angers was the cradle of the Plantagenet dynasty and one of the intellectual centers of Europe during the reign of Rene of Anjou, (1434-80). When this leaf was scribed the two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty, House of Lancaster & House of York, were engaged in the War of the Roses.

Presented in an archival 14 x 11'' mat

  • Inventory# IM-12493
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