Original leaf from a diminutive medieval 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 fine rounded gothic script on animal vellum. (108 x 78mm – 4 ¼ x 3’’)
Italy, c. 1475.
One two-line illuminated initial in burnished gold with intricate violet penwork internally and externally into the margin; twelve illuminated one-line initials alternating in red and deep blue.
The two-line illuminated “E” begins Psalm 44 (King James 45) 1-13: “Eructavit cor meum…” (My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak my works to the king: My tongue is the pen of a scrivener that writeth swiftly. Thou art beautiful above the sons of men: grace is poured abroad in thy lips; therefore hath God blessed thee forever. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O thou most mighty. With thy comeliness and thy beauty set out, proceed prosperously, and reign. Because of truth and meekness and justice: and thy right hand shall conduct thee wonderfully Thy arrows are sharp: under thee shall people fall, into the hearts of the king’s enemies. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a scepter of uprightness. Thou hast loved justice, and hated iniquity: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows…).
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, which could both appreciate and afford them.
Presented in an archival 14x11'' mat
