AN ILLUMINATED VELLUM MANUSCRIPT LEAF WITH A MINIATURE DEPICTING THE CRUCIFIXION FROM A BOOK OF HOURS IN LATIN.

TEXT FROM THE OPENING OF THE HOURS OF THE CROSS.

      France, ca. 1490 - Single column three lines of text under the miniature (15 on the obverse) in an attractive gothic book hand. Rubrics in red four one- or two-line initials in burnished gold on a ground of blue or magenta with white tracery three-line initial in blue with white tracery enclosing flowers of orange and white the whole on a ground of burnished gold full border of acanthus leaves and other foliage and flowers the flowers partly within geometric shapes (resembling chevrons) of brushed gold or magenta the border enclosing A MINIATURE PAINTING OF THE CRUCIFIXION. Border trimmed at right and bottom (and grazed at top) slight loss of paint in one face (but features still quite clear) otherwise very pleasing the colors rich and the vellum clean. The artist here has put a good deal of feeling into the portrayal of the Crucifixion. The body of Christ is elongated emaciated and pale (the latter especially noticeable because of the contrast with the vividly red flowing blood) and pain is clearly expressed on his drooping face. The Virgin looks up at her son dolefully while John glalnces aside in despair.