FRENCH ILLUMINATOR.
Illuminated leaf from a Book of Hours.
Paris or Rouen, circa 1475- 1500.
Illuminated leaf, 215 x 152 mm., with a panel border on both sides of the leaf composed of blue and gold acanthus leaves and coloured flowers and leaves on diamond grounds of liquid gold, illuminated initials in white tracery on pink grounds, and numerous 1-line initials in gold alternately on red and blue grounds, naturalistic branch line fillers; 27 lines of text in gothic script.
A beautifully illuminated leaf from a luxurious French Book of Hours, most likely executed in either Paris or Rouen; the extensive use of gold in geometric forms places this example in the latter part of the fifteenth century.
The panel border on each side of the page comprises a field of blue-and-gold acanthus leaves overlain with a pair of diamond-shaped grounds of liquid gold bearing mauve, red, blue and white flowers. The rest of the leaf reveals a pair of 2-line initials in white on pink grounds; twenty-three 1-line initials in liquid gold on blue or red and twelve line-fillers in similar colours, including some naturalistic branch motifs.
The text derives from the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin, a shorter version of the Divine Office which was observed at set times each day.
