Beschreibung:

ILLUMINATED INITIAL F on a leaf from a choirbook Antiphonal, in Latin, MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM [Italy, probably Tuscany, late 13th century] 550 x 370mm (leaf); 185 x 122mm (body of initial). Intricate interlace initial composed of curling tendrils, one with a dragonhead terminal, and acanthus leaves of pale blue, almond green, mauve and pale pink against a ground of intense blue framed by fillets of blue and red, with white penwork decoration, six lines of text written in brown ink in a gothic bookhand between six lines of music of square notation on a four-line red stave, rubrics in red, one-line initial of red with blue flourishing, on the recto six lines of music and text, rubrics and a large blue initial M flourished in red and infilled with two scaley fishes, the folio number 67 in the margin (slight crease affecting bottom right corner of illuminated initial). Mounted and framed. with NATIVITY, illuminated metalcut from a Book of Hours printed on vellum, Paris: Simon Vostre c.1505-1515 170 x 107mm (overall painted area), the Christ Child lying on the Virgin's mantle, Mary and Joseph kneeling in adoration, the ox and ass at the manger and the shepherds approaching, all within an architectural frame of liquid gold containing two lines of printed text opening with a two-line illuminated initial of blue on a ground of gold with a flower infill, on the recto metalcut borders of renaissance motifs and putti, illuminated initials of liquid gold on grounds of rusty red and blue with gold decoration. Mounted in a double-sided frame. This extremely finely painted miniature opened prime of the Hours of the Virgin. (2)