Medieval Book of Hours France (1450)

A unique feature of this page is the easily identifiable peacock in the center lower portion of the page. By 1450, peacocks had already been introduced to Europe and were bred, kept and eaten by wealthy families. It’s possible that the inclusion of…

This Page Showcases a number of tropes commonly found in medieval manuscript grotesque illustrations. One of the most notable being the man playing the lute in the center left side of the page. The man’s lower body is engulfed by the head of a flower…

This Page is unique in that it doesn’t feature any animals, people or mythical creatures in the marginalia illustration. Instead, the boarder illustration is made up entirely of foliage. It’s possible that this page and those like it found throughout…