Calendar leaf from a Book of Hours mid-C15th, France

Leaf from a Book of Hours Manuscript on vellum
Northern France or the Low Countries, mid-15th century

120mm x 90mm

Description
Single leaf from a late medieval liturgical calendar, written in a neat Gothic textualis in black ink, with alternating red and blue lombard initials. Each entry is arranged in a clear vertical column, one saint per line. The lower half of the leaf is largely unoccupied, preserving generous margins and contributing to its aesthetic appeal when framed.

Condition
Minor age toning and light surface marks consistent with age; overall well preserved on supple vellum.

A simple and elegant leaf from the opening of a Litany of Saints, from a Book of Hours, with a long list of saints that the devout reader was asking to intercede on their behalf through prayer, to mitigate their sins. This simple text, frequently repeated, was one of the fundamental religious focal points of the original owner of the parent volume, central to their religious life and the relationship between them and God.