1507 - Illuminated Leaf From A Book Of Hours In Latin. Paris: Thielman Kerver, Circa 1507 Incunabula, Early Printings & Manuscripts,Philosophy & Religion

This leaf is from a Book of Hours crafted by the famous Parisian publisher, Thielman Kerver, circa 1507, during the transitional period when illumination and printing were combined in the same texts in an attempt to produce books that looked like illuminated manuscripts, and pages were adorned with vignettes, borders, decorations, lines, majuscules, etc. Kerver was well-known for printing in both black and red. He constructed his borders from smaller sections which were set into the printing forme along with the type. This allowed them to be mixed and matched economically throughout the book to vary the decorations and make them appear unique. This leaf, which measures 4½" x 6¾" was printed on vellum and contains numerous gilt initials highlighted in red and blue that were hand-lettered after printing. It includes the "Prayer of Eternal Rest" "Deo gras. Anime oim fidelium defunctorum per pussimammian dei requiescant in pace. Amen. Pater noster." ("Thank God. May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace through the grace of God. Amen. Lord's Prayer.") . Books of Hours were prayer books for the well-to-do laity that developed in late medieval Europe which were used for private devotion. They usually included a calendar of liturgical feast days and a series of prayers to be recited daily according to established practice. Their popularity demonstrated the growing interest of the laity in speaking directly with God and the saints, rather than exclusively through ordained clergy. Between 1497 and 1522, Thielman Kerver was a printer, bookseller and publisher associated with the University of Paris. He was born in Coblentz in Germany and moved to Paris to work as a bookseller and became a highly successful publisher, particularly well known for his Books of Hours. Upon his death, his publishing firm was continued by his widow, Yolande Bonhomme, and his son Thielman. Between November 1503 and 1520 his shop was located on rue Saint-Jacques at the sign of Gril "à l'enseigne du Gril" .