Fragment recto verso de l'office des morts

Recto verso fragments of a manuscript book of hours on parchment with sumptuously illuminated full-page borders. This compartmentalized division of ornaments is representative of the production from Rouen and Parisian workshops at the turn of the 16th century.

Two illuminated pages on a recto verso leaf: border divided into bands and lozenges decorated with floral motifs and leafy designs, gilt initials painted in alternating red and blue and rubrics.
The richness of the illumination characterizes these liturgical books intended for laypeople. Books of hours were at the time jewels of piety, both an instrument of religious practice and a social statement affirmed by the richness of the artists' work. A true small painting, this leaf is probably extracted from a luxurious volume where each page was carefully painted.
We find here a fragment of the Office of the Dead at the moment of the first nocturn of matins. On the recto of the leaf: antiphon "Dirige me" followed by psalm five "Verba mea auribus percipe, Domine...". The office of the dead is a set of prayers dedicated to the salvation of the souls of the deceased. More than commiseration, this devotion reflects the constant fear of medieval men for death.
Script called cursiva libraria on long lines. Witness to the formalization of cursive script at the dawn of the French Renaissance, this script is emblematic of the production of French scribes for laypeople during the period.