Medieval Book of Hours Leaf - St Sebastian - Initial w Face

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Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours, with illuminations by a Master of the Boucicaut School. 15 lines of red-ruled, Latin text, written with dark brown ink in gothic book-hand script on animal vellum.  (127 x 92mm) 

One elaborate calligraphic initial with a profile of a man!

 Northern France (Paris), c. 1420-30.

The calligraphic initial continues a Hymn to  St. Sebastian (Patron Saint of archers and soldiers & invoked against the plague): ''Me defende...'' (Defend me and guard me and all my friends, we who confess our guilt to God and to holy Mary and to you, holy martyr. You, citizen of Milan, can make this plague cease if you wish and can ask God because it is known to many what merits you have in this matter. You healed the dumb Zoe and you restored her, healed, to her husband Nicostratus. Doing this in a wonderful way you comforted martyrs in their agony and promised well-deserved eternal life to those martyrs. O martyr Sebastian, always stay with us and through your merits guard us who are in this life, heal and guide and protect us from the plague, offering us to the trinity and to the holy virgin mother, and thus may we end our life, let us have this as payment: to see the fellowship of martyrs).

Provenance:  Sotheby's - ex G. Barilla of Geneva, and formerly Frederick Fowler collection (England c. 1820's).

Presented in an archival 14x11'' mat.

  • Inventory# IM-11168
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