
Illuminated Manuscript Leaf from a Book of Hours, on vellum. Northern France or Flanders, second half of the fifteenth century c. Single leaf, 6 ¾ x 4 7/8 inches, written in a fine Gothic bookhand in brown ink. Decorated with one larger illuminated initial and several smaller illuminated initials in blue, red, and burnished gold, accompanied throughout by illuminated bar line-fillers of alternating blue and burgundy compartments ornamented with white foliate scrollwork and raised gold bezants; with an elegant floral and acanthus border in colours and gold extending the height of the text block. Text in Latin with red rubrication and illuminated line-fillers. A charming and decorative example of the mature Franco-Flemish Book of Hours tradition, displaying the refined floral ornament and vibrant palette characteristic of manuscript production in Northern Europe during the final decades of the fifteenth century.