Book of Hours Leaf, French, circa 1450

Book of Hours were personal prayer books for laymen in a status-conscious society. They are not only works of art, but cultural documents of their time blending a unique combination of sacred and secular imagery. The books were made of the finest material by the best craftsmen for an aristocratic audience that could both appreciate and afford them. This particular leaf was written in a Parisian scriptorium and features Latin text in brownish ink. The gothic script is illuminated with multiple initials and line extenders in burnished gold on blue and red grounds.