Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 15 lines of red-ruled French text, in dark brown ink, on animal vellum. (197 x 138mm).
Three two-line illuminated initials alternating in blue & red with delicate white penwork & an interior floral design in red, blue & orange on a burnished gold ground - one into margin with a rinceaux floral motive in burnished gold & blue; three one-line illuminated initials & six illuminated line-extenders in burnished gold on red & blue ground with delicate white penwork.
Text is surrounded on 3 sides with an elegant rinceaux panel border in a delicate floral motif with ivy leaves in red, blue, green, orange & burnished gold, and an illuminated bar extends beyond the length of the text in red, blue & burnished gold.
Northern France (Paris), c. 1420-40.
This leaf continues one of the most popular 15th century prayers: the Fifteen Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The prayer celebrates the joyous moments of the Virgin Mary's life (The Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity...ending with the Assumption into Heaven). Each two-line illuminated ''E'' begins: ''E tres doulce dame...'' (Very sweet lady...)
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.
Shipped in archival 14x11'' mat.