Illuminated Manuscript Book of Hours Leaf, France, c. 1500
Suffrage - Prayers to Saints Peter and Paul
IM-13512 : 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 with rubrics in red.
Embellished with a two-line illuminated initial in burnished gold on a red and blue ground.
Origin: Paris, France circa 1500.
Size: 110 x 75mm – 4.25 x 2.9 inches, from a diminutive manuscript likely written for a lady.
This leaf continues the section of Suffrages - prayers to saints who were considered the protectors, helpers and guardians of medieval people. The rubrics announce the prayer to Saints Peter & Paul. The two-line illuminated “D” begins: “ Deus cuius …” (O God, whose right hand raised up blessed Peter the Apostle when he was walking on the waves lest he be submerged…).
Provenance: ex-collection of Brooklyn Museum of Art, acquired in 1919. Deaccessioned and sold to support the museum collection
This leaf was sc ribed circa 1500. This is a beautiful and highly ornamental original, more than 500 years old , not a reproduction. It is in very fine 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. | ||