Framed Book of Hours Leaf

$315.74

A finely decorated vellum leaf from a Renaissance Book of Hours, containing one single column of 20 lines, ruled in red, of written text in Latin. The text is a fine example of the popular Medieval script, used extensively for French vernacular books, known as lettre bâtarde. The leaf is executed in red, green, black, blue, grey and gold and bordered with a golden, rope-like frame which ends in a beautiful terminal, shaded with red along all of its length. The vellum features a series of illuminated and beautifully rendered initials, from the Agnus Dei, recited during Mass as an invocation to the Lamb of God and sung at the moment of the fraction of the Host.

 

Date: Circa 15th century AD
Condition: Extremely fine, the leaf has been professionally framed and trimmed.

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SKU: VB-56 Category: Tags: , ,

The Book of Hours is a book of Christian devotion, which evolved from the psalter. It gained popularity during the Middle Ages, and typically consisted of psalms, prayers, and other devotional texts. It is the most common surviving type of manuscript, but each copy was unique – whether on account of a different selection of texts, or different decoration. As a result, books of this type offer some of the most interesting examples of medieval calligraphy and decorative practice.

To find out more about Medieval manuscripts please see our relevant blog post: Illuminated Manuscripts and Vellum Pages.

Weight 501.5 g
Dimensions W 22.5 x H 27.5 cm
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