The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Leaf from a Book of Hours: Calendar Page for May (recto) and Calendar Page for June (verso) (2 of 3 Excised Leaves)

Leaf from a Book of Hours: Calendar Page for May (recto) and Calendar Page for June (verso) (2 of 3 Excised Leaves)

c. 1510
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

It is believed that medieval men and women read their books of hours aloud, not silently.

Description

The calendar is usually located at the beginning of a book of hours. Much like calendars today, those in books of hours mark important days to be acknowledged throughout the year. These calendars are perpetual calendars, meaning adjustable, as to be accurate every year. Months are often illuminated with an image of the type of labor or zodiac sign associated with them, such as grapes in September, the month in which they were harvested. In more lavish books, the most important days are done in gold, red, or blue, while lesser days are in brown or black ink. Running along each column are letters, which would have helped readers quickly identify Sundays. Every year, a different letter would indicate Sundays. Also running along the page are golden numbers, roman numerals used to indicate full and new moons and help identify holidays like Easter that do not fall on the same date yearly.
  • Carlton R. Richmond
    1981
    [Sotheby's, New York, 30 October 1981, lot 54]
    [Bruce Ferrini, Akron, Oh], sold to Jeanne Miles Blackburn
    -2011
    Jeanne Miles Blackburn, Maitland, Fl, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2011-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
  • Fliegel, Stephen N. The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection of Manuscript Illuminations. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 64, cat. no. 62 archive.org
  • The Medieval Top Seller: The Book of Hours (Gallery 115 rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26, 2022-July 30, 2023).
  • {{cite web|title=Leaf from a Book of Hours: Calendar Page for May (recto) and Calendar Page for June (verso) (2 of 3 Excised Leaves)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1510|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2011.65