Medieval Manuscript in Custom Frame

A beautifully decorated leaf from a Medieval Book of Hours. It contains one single column of 29 lines, ruled in red, of written text in Latin. The text is a fine example of the popular Medieval script, used extensively for French vernacular books, known as lettre bâtarde. The leaf is executed in red, green and blue tempera, gold and liquid gold on both sides. Initials are beautifully and colourfully painted on a liquid gold ground, and further enriched by floral and foliate motifs. The text is bordered with a finely rendered framed, decorated with lilies and garlands. The recto text opens with one highly illuminated initial, highlighting the beginning of Psalm 145:2, Lauda Anima Mea Dominum. The initial is further enriched with a fine depiction of a flower, probably a carnation: in Medieval times carnations were depicted as a symbol of maternal love but were also referred to the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.