Book of Hours: France, c1460.

Fine original 15th-century illuminated manuscript leaf on vellum, most likely produced in a French scriptorium around 1460.

All text is in Latin gothic script, written in brown ink with gold heightened decorative initials and line fillers, rubricated lettering and an intricate vine leaf border. An excellent example of champie initials, with simple letter shapes in burnished gold with a red or blue infill on a ground of blue or red, each ground enlivened with highlighting in delicately traced white lines.

Everything has been done by hand--from the making of vellum out of animal skin, to the scribe inking the text and the illuminator embellishing with color & decorative touches.

Condition: As shown, on vellum in good condition with only minor evidence of storing and a few age marks to outer margins. 17.5 x 12.5 cm.