Leaf on vellum from a Dutch manuscript Book of Hours.

A very rare leaf from a Book of Hours in Dutch, ca 1460. The decoration points in the direction of the Northern part of the Netherlands, very probably the Ijssel region [ between Zwolle and Deventer.]. There is a very nice initial H in blue, red, white and gold leaf. In the margin is pen work with gold clover leaves and three flowers, one of them blue. The initials in the text are in red or blue, the text is in a light brown ink, a large part in red.
The text is from the Book of Hours that was translated into Dutch by Geert Grote, one of the Broeders des Gemenen Levens*.
In the text we find Sinte bernaert [ Saint Bernardus ] and Die paus iohannes die xxii [ Pope John the 22nd .]
*Geert Groote. In the 14th century in the Netherlands a reforming movement was started by the Broeders des Gemenen Levens, the Brothers of the Common Life, important members were Geert Groote and Thomas a Kempis, ?they taught a return to the basic teaching of the Bible and initiated a spiritual renewal whose characteristics included lay participation in worship and in practical study of the basic books.? [ Christopher de Hamel ]
From then on the vernacular played an important role in the Dutch Books of Hours and most of them were in Dutch, although that language was not yet standardised.