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.

This vellum leaf features a superb hand-colored image of baby Jesus sitting on Mary's lap, both nimbed, with an angel kneeling and presenting a gift. Below the image is text that translates as:

The Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary begins
And I will enter the altar of God. To God who makes my youth glad.
Deign, O Lord, to keep us without sin on this day.

Surrounding the image is a delicate border of leaves, flowers and berries. The text continues on verso with initials illuminated in red, blue and burnished gold leaf.

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Condition: B+

Light toning and soiling with a few tiny abrasions.