This leaf is from the brief transitional period when the new technology of printing with movable type was combined with the more labor intensive methods of hand painting. The earliest printers were trained in the manuscript tradition and incorporated the conventions of historiated initials and illustrations into their early work. At first they left those spaces blank for the illuminator to complete entirely by hand. Later they developed printing methods (using woodcuts or iron engravings) to decorate the leaves.

This vellum leaf is from a printed Book of Hours. It is a beautiful example of early printing with the verso featuring a full-page, hand-colored image of the Tree of Jesse and the ancestors of Jesus Christ. Below the image is Isaiah 11:1, which translates as: "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit." The recto includes additional iron engravings that depict flowers, mythical creatures, and a tall column.

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Condition: B+

Light toning and soiling with some minor creases and small abrasions.