Europe, Northern Italy, probably Ferrara, ca. 1470 CE. A refined, two-sided Medieval Book of Hours leaf, created in Northern Italy, probably Ferrarese, with refined penwork and beautifully colored initials typical of Ferrarese illumination of the 1470s. The description of this example written by Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts expert Charles Edwin Puckett, reads as follows, "Original leaf from a medieval manuscript Book of Hours. 13 lines of text, ruled in red, written in Latin with dark brown ink and red rubrics in fine rounded gothic script on animal vellum. One illuminated two-line initial and six illuminated one-line initials alternating in burnished gold with elaborate violet internal and external penwork, and deep blue with red internal and external penwork. The penwork extends from the two-line initials along the length of the leaf. Northern Italy (probably Ferrara), c. 1470.

The colorful initials are characteristic of Ferrarese illumination of the 1470's - especially the work of Guglielmo Girardi (Ref: Toniolo, La miniature a Ferrara (1998), pp. 214-223). The precise and elegant penwork flourishing is also represented in manuscripts of that workshop and similar to the ornamentation found in the pattern book of Guinfortus de Vicomercato (Ref: J. G. Alexander, The Painted Page, London 1994, p. 109).

The one-line illuminated "C" continues the Hymn Quem Terra: "Cui luna . . ." (The God whose will by moon, and sun, and all things in due course is done, is borne upon a Maiden's breast, by fullest heavenly grace possessed . . . ). The two-line illuminated "D" begins Psalm 8:1-3: "Domine . . ." (O Lord or Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth . . .). Books of Hours are personal prayer books of a devout, status-conscious society. They are both works of art and cultural documents of their time. They are made of the finest materials, by the best craftsmen, for a small audience that could both appreciate and afford them." Custom mat. Size: 3.875" L x 2.75" W (9.8 cm x 7 cm); with mat, 11" W x 14" H (28 cm x 35.6 cm).

Provenance: Ex-M. Reiniger estate, Chicago, IL; ex-Charles Edwin Puckett Illuminated Manuscripts, Akron, OH

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#111575

Expected aging to page, but overall excellent