**Originally Listed At $300**

Western Europe, France, Southern France, ca. second half of 15th century CE. A remarkable double-sided vellum illuminated manuscript page from a Breviary featuring 2 columns of 28 lines of Latin lettre batarde script in gold ink. The enlarged first letter of each new prayer is beautifully scripted in a rich hue of azurite blue or vermillion red and embellished with a lovely swirling motif. The smaller letters in red ink are called rubrics and denote the initial letter of a chapter or prayer. This beautiful page is from a breviary (Latin breviarium meaning abridgment); a book that contains liturgical texts - daily service, official prayers with psalms, readings, and hymns recited at specified hours of the day; it is also called the liturgy of the hours. A stunning relic from the pre-Reformation church! Size of Page: 3.25" W x 4.5" H (8.3 cm x 11.4 cm) Size with included custom matte: 8" W x 10" H (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm)

The word "manuscript" literally means "written by hand" and comes from the Latin words manus (hand) and scriptus (writing). The book which this page came from would have been the creation of several skilled individuals who devoted many hours to their respective tasks.

Provenance: ex Estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, acquired before 2000

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#158259

Fitted with a lovely modern mat. Light wrinkling and staining, though has not been examined outside of mat. Otherwise, excellent.