A mid to late fourteenth century leaf from an Antiphonary of the first Vespers for Christmas Day from Italy.
 
Handwritten on vellum in black and red ink in gothic script in Latin. The illumination attributed to Giustino di Gheradino. The recto has five lines of music in square chant notation with red four line staves and five lines of lyrics. The lyrics has the first antiphon from this liturgy and response from Psalm 109, with two decorated initials in black ink. The recto has a historiated initial ‘R’ with Christ enthroned, gesturing in benediction, richly illuminated in liquid gold, red, green, blue, white, and pink, and decorated down the left margin with acanthus leaves. The verso has five lines of music in square chant notation with red four line staves and five lines of lyrics and two rubricated letters in blue and red continuing the chant.
 
(576 x 395 mm). A very good example. Minor loss to the liquid gold on the historiated initial and slight fading to the lyrics, minor marks, slight discolouration to the verso.