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Leaf from a Breviary with Psalms 67, 50, and 64
Leaf from a Breviary with Psalms 67, 50, and 64

Leaf from a Breviary with Psalms 67, 50, and 64

Artist Unknown
Datecirca 1325–1350
MediumIlluminated manuscript on parchment
Dimensionspaper: 7 × 5 in. (17.8 × 12.7 cm)
ClassificationsBook Arts
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Garth Cate
Object numberG.65.17.1
On View
Not on view
Label TextBefore the widespread adoption of printing with movable type, scribes handwrote texts on parchment sheets that were folded and sewn along one edge. These codices (books) were sometimes decorated in tempera and gold leaf to “light up” the pages, inspiring the term “illuminated manuscript.”

This densely illuminated leaf comes from a breviary, containing the prayers, hymns, psalms, and readings for the cycle of daily devotions, or Divine Office, required of monks, nuns, and priests. The Office is recited at regular intervals throughout the day, at “canonical” hours established in the sixth century: Matins (before daybreak), Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext (around noon), None, Vespers, and Compline (after sunset).

After the scribe copied the text in an angular handwriting, an illuminator then added the gold leaf and penwork initials and whimsical “line fillers.”
[L. Humphrey, “The People’s Collection, Reimagined,” 2022]
ProvenanceEdwin A. R. Rumball-Petre, NY (1938)Published References"Acquisitions," North Carolina Museum of Art Bulletin 6, no. 4, and 7, no. 1 (1966/67?), one of a group of prints mentioned 7, listed 74.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–April 24, 2023 (recto).

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," November 18, 2025-May 19, 2026 (verso). Object Rights Statement

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