Illuminated Manuscript Book of Hours Leaf, France, c. 1500
Text from Psalm 142 (KJ 143): "Cause me to hear Thy mercy...deliver me from my enemies..."
IM-13546: Original leaf from a French medieval illuminated manuscript
Book
of Hours. 13 lines of hand-ruled text written in Latin with dark brown
ink in fine lettre bâtarde script on
animal vellum.
Seven
one-line illuminated initials and two line extenders in burnished gold on a red
and blue ground with delicate white penwork.
Origin: Paris, France circa 1500.
Size: 110 x 75mm – 4.25 x 2.9 inches, from a
diminutive manuscript likely written for a lady.
The one-line illuminated “N”
begins Psalm 142 (King James 143) 7-12: “Non avertas…” (Turn not away thy face from me, lest I be like unto
them that go down into the pit. Cause me
to hear thy mercy in the morning; for in thee have I hoped. Make the way known
to me, wherein I should walk: for I have lifted up my soul to thee. Deliver me
from my enemies, O Lord, to thee have I fled: teach me to do thy will, for thou
art my God.
Thy good spirit shall lead me
into the right land: for thy name’s sake, O Lord thou wilt quicken me in thy
justice. Thou wilt bring my soul out of trouble: and in thy mercy thou wilt
destroy my enemies. And thou wilt cut off all them that afflict my soul: for I
am thy servant)…).
Provenance: ex-collection of Brooklyn Museum of Art, acquired in 1919. Deaccessioned and sold to support the museum
collection.
This Book of Hours leaf was scribed circa 1500. This is a beautiful and highly ornamental original, more than 500 years old, not a reproduction. It is in excellent antiquarian condition as seen in the photos. - It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
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. | ||