Medieval Book of Hours Leaf, c.1420-40

Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 15 lines of ruled gothic textura script, written in Latin with dark brown ink, on animal vellum. Rubrics (headings) in red. Three-quarter page illuminated paintig of a funeral service. One four-line illuminated initial with floral infill; six illuminated one-line initials and three line-extenders in gold on red and blue ground with white tracery. Panel border of vines and flowers in gold, blue, red and green. This Rinceaux border is in the style of Boucic Master Atelier. This leaf is from Northern France and is dated around 1420-40. The illuminated initial D” opens the Hours of Vespers with Psalm 114:1-7: “Dilexi quoniam” ( I have loved, because the lord will hear the voice of my prayer…).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 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.

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