Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 16 and 17 lines of text, ruled in red, written in Latin with dark brown ink on animal vellum.(124 x 90mm).
Major feast days in red (origin of term ‘red-letter day’). Large ''KL'' initials (for KALENDS) are in burnished gold on a deep blue ground with delicate white tracery, surrounded by a red border with delicate white tracery.
Flanders, c. 1450 – produced to follow the English rites, for the English market.
Among the feasts listed are All Saints’ Day (1st), All Souls’ Day (2nd), St. Leonard (6th – no fewer than 177 churches are dedicated to him in England), St. Martin (11th), St. Brice (13th), St. Cecilia (22nd – Patron saint of poets and singers), St. Clement (23rd – 43 churches are dedicated to him in England including St. Clement Danes in London), St. Katherine of Alexandria (25th – Patron Saint of Preachers and Philosophers) and St. Andrew (30th – Patron Saint of Scotland and Weddings).
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.
Shipped in archival 14x11'' mat.
