Illuminated Gothic manuscript from a book of hours written on vellum
France, around 1420
One column, 14 lines, Gothic textura in brown and blue ink, written in Latin
Three splendid gilt-heightened initials in blue and mauve as well as three gilt-heightened line fillers in blue
Dimensions of leaf: 17.3 x 12 cm, text area: 9.5 x 7.5 cm
Very good condition, no blemishes
Colors in excellent condition, leaf with wide margins
Provenance: Collection, Münster

This illuminated Gothic manuscript from a French book of hours written on vellum was made around 1420. The text in one column in Latin over 14 lines was executed in Gothic textura in brown and blue ink. What is particularly worthwhile mentioning about this leaf are the three splendid gilt-heightened initials in blue and mauve, as well as the three gilt-heightened line fillers in blue.

Condition

The leaf with wide margins is in very good condition and as no blemishes. The colors are in very good condition. Dimensions of leaf: 17.3 x 12 cm, text area: 9.5 x 7.5 cm.

The Book of Hours

A Book of Hours, also Horarium or Horae, is a prayer and devotional book for the liturgy of the hours. Structurally, it resembles the breviary of the Roman Catholic Church, however, it was mainly intended for the use by laymen. Books of Hours were originally created in the 13th century and replaced the Psaltery which had previously been used as prayer books. They saw their heyday in the 14th/15th century and were widely used by the wealthy, literate nobility in Europe and were considered - depending on the purse of its owner - an important status symbol, and the splendor of their endowment therefore differed. Today some of the specimens made by Parisian masters are among the most magnificent manuscripts. With the emergence of the letterpress in the second half of the 15th century of the luxurious books did not disappear as status symbol, but they changed.

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