Leaf Excised from a Book of Hours: Decorated Initial H
c. 1470–1480
Medium
ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
Dimensions
17.5 × 12.3 cm
Classification
Manuscript
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection
Accession Number
1999.134
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
The difficulty in localizing Dutch manuscripts of the second half of the 15th century is formidable. Many shared or exchanged characteristics are found, particularly in terms of page layout, border decoration, and initial design. The present leaf contains borders embellished with brightly colored flowers (columbines) and acanthus leaves filled in with gold bezants, tiny green leaves, and little black dots. Though different in palette, these elements bear closest resemblance to borders and initia...