Renaissance Book of Hours Leaf, c. 1512

Original leaf from an important printed and hand illuminated Book of Hours. Ruled Latin text, printed in red and black on animal vellum. Initials, paragraph markers and endings illuminated by hand in gold, on grounds of blue and or magenta. Noted for its decorative borders – the paneled surrounds are historiated or inhabited. Printed by Philippe Pigouchet. The metal cuts were designed by the master of Anne de Bretagne. Produced by Nicolas Higman for SimonVostre in Paris, Use of Rome, c. 1512 This particular leaf concluded the Hours of the Virgin, Hour of Lauds. Books of Hours are personal prayer-brooks of a devout and status-conscious society are not only works of art, but a 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. In purpose and format, printed Books of Hours followed the older manuscripts examples. The more luxurious were printed on vellum, as is this specimen.

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