Catalog Archive
Auction 140, Lot 881

"[Illuminated Leaf]", Anon.

Subject: Medieval Manuscripts

Period: 1570 (circa)

Publication:

Color: Hand Color

Size:
4.3 x 6.5 inches
10.9 x 16.5 cm
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Book of Hours were prayer books designed for the laity, but modeled on the Divine Office, a cycle of daily devotions, prayers and readings, performed by members of religious orders and the clergy. Its central text is the Hours of the Virgin. There are eight hours (times for prayer ): Matins, Lauds. Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline. During the Middle Ages, the leaves making up a Book of Hours were written by hand on expensive parchment and beautifully illuminated with jewel-like pigments and gold leaf. These illuminated manuscripts combined the collaborative efforts of an array of highly skilled craftspeople; requiring the joint labors of the parchmenter, professional scribes to write the text in Gothic script, artists to illuminate the pages with decorations, and masterful binders to complete the process.

A wonderful vellum leaf from a Book of Hours written in Paris in the latter part of the 16th century. This is one of the last Books of Hours, as their value was declared null by Pius V in 1568. The scribe used dark brown ink and wrote in fine, Roman script, possibly trying to imitate printed type. The leaf is decorated with numerous other small initials and line fillers in red, blue and gold. The text on the recto begins with the Benedictus (also known as the Song of Zechariah), given in Gospel of Luke 1, and continues on the verso.

References:

Condition: A

Estimate: $160 - $200

Sold for: $120

Closed on 5/23/2012

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