Leaf from a Book of Hours

Unknown

about 1480–1490

Tempera colors and gold, Tempera Colors, Gold

J. Paul Getty Museum

An illuminated manuscript page features decorative borders with flora and fauna surrounding a block of text. A large initial 'D' begins the text, which is adorned with a bird and a dragonfly. Once a part of a Christian devotional manuscript known as a book of hours, this page showcases a change in artistic styles between 1470 and 1480 that led to a more refined approach to how artists and illuminators of the period responded to the depiction of nature in northern Europe. Illuminators located in the Flemish towns of Ghent and Bruges (now Belgium) developed a style of decorative borders that incorporated flowers, fruits, and insects, all set against a wide colored background, that aimed to show the wonders of nature through God’s diverse creations. Such borders have been praised for their scientific accuracy and their cont