Illuminated Manuscript Book of Hours April Calendar Leaf, France, c. 1450-75
Super Gift for an April Birthday !!!
IM-12787: Original calendar leaf
for April from a Medieval illuminated manuscript Book of Hours.
17 lines of red ruled text written in French on animal
vellum.
Scribed and illuminated in France (likely Rouen), c. 1450-75.
Size: 168 x 125mm – 6 5/8 x 4 7/8 inches
The panel
borders contain a highly decorative floral design with flowers (including
columbines – symbol of the Holy Spirit), berries and
acanthus leaves in blue, red, green, pink, and burnished gold. Major
feast days are in gold, blue or red (origin of term ‘red-letter
day’). Large “KL” initials (for KALENDS) are in blue with
white tracery on a burnished gold ground with floral interior.
There are miniature paintings in the lower portion of each side of the leaf. The miniature painting, recto, depicts the Labor of the Month – Planting. The miniature painting, verso, depicts the Astrological symbol of Taurus (according to the fifteenth century calendar).
Among
the feasts days listed are: St. Ambrose (4th), St.
Hugh – bishop of Rouen (9th), St. Valerian (14th ), St.
George (23rd ), St. Mark the
Evangelist (25th), and St. Eutropius Bishop of
Saintes (30th).
This Book of Hours leaf was scribed circa 1450-75. This is a beautiful and highly ornamental original, more than 550 years old, not a reproduction. It is in very nice antiquarian condition as seen in the photos. It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Left of the saints’ days are repeating letters A - G called Dominical Letters since they help find Sundays. Far left is a column of Roman numerals i - xix called Golden Numbers to indicate appearances of new moons, & counting ahead 14 days, full moons throughout the year (year + 1; divide by 19; remainder is Golden Number - if zero GN = 19). Finally: each month had 3 fixed points: Kalends (1st day) Ides (middle) & Nones (9th day before Ides). All days in between were counted backwards from these points.
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. | ||