Original leaf from a diminutive manuscript Book of Hours, probably for use by a lady. 19 lines of text, ruled in red, written in Latin with dark brown ink in gothic script on animal vellum. (110 x 75mm - 4 ¼ x 2 7/8’’)
Italy, c. 1475.
Three two-line illuminated initials in burnished gold with delicate violet penwork extending into the margin; five one-line illuminated initials alternating in deep blue and red.
The illuminated “E” begins Ecclesiasticus (King James Sirach) 24:24 “Ego mater…” (I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope).
The illuminated “N” begins the Canticle of Simeon – Luke 2: 29-32: “Nunc…” (Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord according to thy word in peace; Because my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples).
The illuminated “B” begins the prayer: “Beate et gloriose…” (We beseech thee O Lord that glorious intercession of the ever blessed, and glorious virgin Mary, may protect us, and bring us to life everlasting. Through or Lord Jesus Christ, Amen).
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.
Presentd in an archival 14x11'' mat
