Leaf from a sixteenth century French Book of hours printed for Antoine Verard. Catholic Church. Verard, Antoine, d. ca. 1513. Paris : Antoine Verard. ca. 1485-1512 1 leaf : vellum, ill. (woodcuts) ; 190 mm. This leaf is an example of the early French printed Books of Hours, evidence of the flourishing contemporary Parisian book market. Printed on vellum for Antoine Vérard, it is one of 40 editions of Books of Hours produced for this important publisher. Layout: 33 lines to a page; frame-ruled in red ink; woodcuts throughout border. Hand illuminated capital letters in red and yellow ink. Decoration: Obverse includes hand painted miniature of Veronica with the Sudarium, which is associated with the prayer running alongside it; reverse is notable for the hand painted miniature of Madonna and Child; 1 medium gold illuminated "O" on red ground; woodcut borders. Page from a Book of Hours, text at center is in Latin. On the verso is printed “Salve Sancta Facies”. On the recto is one in-text woodcut of Veronica and the Veil. Borders contain several small engravings of Biblical subjects. Starting from the top left: the Nativity, an Old Testament Prophet (?), at bottom Luke and his ox. In the foot-piece is an image of the Samian Sibyl. The verso contains the beginning of the text of “Obsecro Te”. The verso contains one in-text woodcut of the Virgin and Child, Virgin holding flowering rod. In the borders, starting from the top right: Flight into Egypt, an Old Testament prophet (?), at the bottom Mathew and his Angel. In the foot-piece another Sibyl, possibly the Cumaean Sibyl (?). Between the images in the lateral borders are verses in French. Books of hours -- France. Incunabula. Click for obverse. Click for reverse. Click for Anna Majeski's essay on the re-attribution of this leaf. b33 Text