Book of Hours Leaf

This is an original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. The text consists of 14 lines of text, written in Latin, on animal vellum, ruled in red with dark brown ink, in fine gothic textura script, with rubrics (headings) in red. There are one two-line initial, eight one-line initials and seven line-extenders in gold on red and blue ground with delicate white tracery. The panel border shows vines with berries and a flower in gold, blue and red. This Rinceaux border is a fine example from the workshop of the Bouicaut Master. The two-line gold Q” begins Psalm 2:1-8: “Quare fremuerunt?” (Why have the Gentiles raged?).Book of Hours are personal prayer books of a devout and status-conscious society and are not only works of art, but cultural documents of the 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.This leaf is encased within a double-sided mat within a sealed plastic envelope.

Out of stock