Leaf from a Book of Hours: Annunciation to the Shepherds (recto)

Why it matters

This finely preserved leaf with its large miniature is stylistically consistent with the work of the Boethius Illuminator. An unusual and very original painter, he was named after a manuscript copy of the works of the Roman philosopher Boethius (AD 480-524), which he illuminated in 1414. The artist favored bright, sweeping colors and expressionistic compositions. He used tessellated (mosaic-patterned) grounds in his miniatures, as is the case here. The Boethius Illuminator and his assistants participated in the illustration of over a dozen manuscripts between 1414 and 1418/20. It was not unusual for artists working in different styles to collaborate on a single book of hours during the 1400s and 1500s.