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Illumination on parchment Stadtbibliothek, Nuremberg This page representing the Death of the Virgin is from the Book of Hours. This manuscript has a text-page layout which came to be almost universally adopted for Books of Hours during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The Nuremberg manuscript is puzzling since its contents show that it was designed for use in England or by someone with English connections. However, it is certainly a Parisian production. The page illustrated shows the opening of the Hours of the Virgin. The upper part of the page is occupied by an illustration, still at this stage connected to the initial letters of the text. From this illustration springs foliage decoration which branches down and round to enclose the text beneath. This scheme is satisfactory since the foliage sprays bind text and picture together to form a pleasing surface pattern, and it is not surprising that it was widely adopted. Artist: MINIATURIST, French , Book of Hours , 1251-1300 , French , illumination , religious |
