Special Collections & Archives is pleased to announce that we now have a new “oldest” item in our collection. We recently acquired an illuminated vellum manuscript leaf that came from a Book of Hours (call number B2528).[1] This beautiful leaf comes from northern France, most likely Paris, and dates from the 1460s. The leaf is less than 6 inches by 4 inches in size! The charming border contains carnations, thistles, roses, daisies, violets, strawberries, grapes, and is even adorned with a beetle. The text is in Latin. Prior to acquiring this illuminated leaf, our oldest item was a leaf from the Nuremberg Chronicle from 1493.[2]
[1] For information about Book of Hours, see: https://www.britannica.com/topic/book-of-hours-prayer-book
[2] For information about the Nuremberg Chronical, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Chronicle
