Breviary Leaf Manuscript - Prayer For Palm Sunday

This is a beautiful and delicate page of vellum from a breviary written in Northern Italy around 1460. A breviary is normally a "liturgical work which contains the psalms and hymns, the readings from Sacred Scripture and from the writings of the Fathers, the prayers and the responses, which are combined to form the canonical hours of the divine office of prayer recited daily throughout the world by priests and the religious." It is of course written in Latin in two columns with blue and red decorated capitals and is in an amazing "assured gothic bookhand" in sepia on vellum with additional exquisite pale sepia penwork. The blue initial 'O' at the bottom of the right column on the Recto side begins the prayer for Vespers on Palm Sunday.The vellum has only minor browning of the edges with the text and decoration perfectly clear and bright. The hair follicles of the animal supplying the vellum (usually calf skin) are clearly visible in the margins, making this gem all the more fascinating. A quality photocopy is on wall display in store with the original vellum under cover for inspection as requested.