NO RESERVE

"[Illuminated Leaf]", Anon.

This leaf is from the brief transitional period when the new technology of printing with movable type was combined with the more labor intensive methods of hand painting. The earliest printers were trained in the manuscript tradition and incorporated the conventions of historiated initials and illustrations into their early work. At first they left those spaces blank for the illuminator to complete entirely by hand. Later they developed printing methods (using woodcuts or iron engravings) to decorate the leaves.

Fine vellum leaf from an early printed Book of Hours. The large illuminated (blue/gold and red/gold) initials 'KL' identify the leaf as part of the calendar that was in the beginning of every Book of Hours. On recto is the month of August, with September on the verso. At the bottom of each side is a short description of the month in Latin and French.

References:

Condition: A

Minor marginal soiling.