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 superb vellum leaf was was prepared by Cistercian monks of the province of Paris. The hand-drawn image shows a Canaanite Woman kneeling before Jesus. The image is surrounded by flowers and a pair of deer. This leaf was authenticated by Mr. Levron, departmental archivist of Seine-et-Oise, and by Mr. d'Herbecourt, departmental archivist of Maine-et-Loire; both former students of the École des Chartes.

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Condition: B+

Light toning and soiling.