- Period
- Gothic
- Date
- early 1300s
- Collection
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object no.
- 2011.56
Leaf from a Book of Hours: Initial D: Flight into Egypt (2 of 2 Excised Leaves)
Unknown maker, early 1300s
Cleveland Museum of Art · The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection · Public domain
- Maker
- Unknown maker
- Date
- early 1300s
- Medium
- ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
- Dimensions
- Leaf: 13 x 9.7 cm (5 1/8 x 3 13/16 in.)
- Period
- Gothic
The record
Why it matters
These initials introduce the text Deus in adiutorium meum intende (God come to my assistance). The borders include playful animals or humans engaged in assorted activities: a dog catching a hare; a lion; a peacock; and a woman winding yarn. The illuminators of books of hours, like the artists of psalters before them, continued to explore the possibilities suggested by open space on the page in order to showcase their ingenuity and delight the reader.