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Leaf from a Book of Hours: Initial D
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Not all books of hours were decorated with conventional historiated initials or full-page miniatures containing figural scenes. The illuminator of this leaf incorporated a more subtle decorative scheme consisting of a large, flower-filled initial D for Deus that gives a focus to the page. A rectangular bar border with ivy leaf sprays punctuated with flowers in the corners flows from this initial. The layout is neat, yet elegant. The palette of orange-reds and pale blues is typically English.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineLeaf from a Book of Hours: Initial D, c. 1400. England, early 15th century. Ink, tempera and gold on vellum; each leaf: 15.2 x 11.4 cm (6 x 4 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection, 2006.10
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