Leaf from an English Book of Hours, Use of Sarum, c. 1420
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Cameron, Chantal
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Abstract
A leaf from an English Book of Hours, Use of Sarum, featuring a miniature portrait of the Virgin. The illuminated manuscript is in Latin on parchment and is from England, probably London, c. 1420. A large initial “O” (opening the Obsecro te prayer) encloses a small portrait of the Virgin holding a golden vessel. The leaf contains a single column of 14 lines of a notably spiky English, late gothic bookhand. Three of the margins contain leaves and foliage.
Description
The Book of Hours was a Christian devotional text used as a prayer book by the general population during the Middle Ages. Many were embellished and featured detailed paintings and drawings.