Sold Antiques

IM-10153: (213x145mm) Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 15 lines of ruled gothic script, written in Latin with dark brown ink, on animal vellum. One illuminated two-line initial, nine one-line initials and five line extenders in burnished gold on a pink and blue ground with delicate white penwork. Delicate rinceaux floral border in colors of blue, red, and burnished gold!!France, c. 1440.

The illuminated one-line "M" concludes Psalm 44 (King James 45) 18:  "Memores.." (They shall remember thy name throughout all generations.  Therefore shall people praise thee for ever; yea, forever and ever). The two-line illuminated "D" begins Psalm 45 (KJ 46) 1-8: "Deus noster..."  (Our God is our refuge and strength: a helper in troubles, which have found us exceedingly.  Therefore we will not fear, when the earth shall be troubled; and the mountains shall be removed into the heart of the sea).

Books of Hours are personal prayer books of a devout and status-conscious society and are not only works of art, but cultural documents of their time. They reveal a unique combination of sacred and secular imagery - made of the finest materials, by the best craftsmen, for a small audience that could both appreciate and afford them.