Artwork Page for Leaf from a Book of Hours: Initial D: Flight into Egypt (2 of 2 Excised Leaves)

Details / Information for Leaf from a Book of Hours: Initial D: Flight into Egypt (2 of 2 Excised Leaves)

Leaf from a Book of Hours: Initial D: Flight into Egypt (2 of 2 Excised Leaves)

early 1300s
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Northern France or Flanders, early 14th Century

Medium
ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
Measurements
Leaf: 13 x 9.7 cm (5 1/8 x 3 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection 2011.56
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

All books of hours contain the same basic sections and were highly customizable.

Description

These initials introduce the text Deus in adiutorium meum intende (God come to my assistance). The borders include playful animals or humans engaged in assorted activities: a dog catching a hare; a lion; a peacock; and a woman winding yarn. The illuminators of books of hours, like the artists of psalters before them, continued to explore the possibilities suggested by open space on the page in order to showcase their ingenuity and delight the reader.
A vellum page features Latin script in black and red and a large historiated initial in the upper left depicting the Flight into Egypt. Inside, Mary and the Christ Child ride a donkey led by Joseph against a gold background. A blue floral border frames the left edge. Below the script, a small brown lion stands, while a woman in a red gown spins thread on our right. All have light skin tones.

Leaf from a Book of Hours: Initial D: Flight into Egypt (2 of 2 Excised Leaves)

early 1300s

Northern France or Flanders, early 14th Century

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