Book of Hours Leaf (Colorful Initials)

This is an original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. The text consists of 19 lines of ruled gothic textura script, written in Latin with dark brown ink, on animal vellum. Rubrics (headings) and versal initials are red. There are two two-line initials and nine one-line initials alternating in red and blue.Book of Hours are personal prayerbooks 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.

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