A Parisian Book of Hours dating to c.1440-50 was among illuminated or decorated manuscripts sold during in the closing weeks of 2017.
Bid to £180,000 at Sotheby’s (25/20/12.9%) on December 5, it was one that by the early 19th century had found its way into the hands of a Russian princess.
Presenting 15 large miniatures with full borders and boasting three-sided borders to all text pages (see illustration right), the illumination of this manuscript was begun by a craftsman known as the ‘Master of the Munich Golden Legend’.