An early sixteenth century antiphonal leaf for the Feast of the Nativity from Italy.
 
Handwritten on vellum in black and red ink in gothic script in Latin. The recto has five lines of music in square chant notation with red four line staves and five lines of lyrics and a rubricated letter in blue and red. The lyrics has the first antiphon from ad decundas Vesperas in the Nativitas Domini. The recto has a historiated initial ‘O’ with scene of the Nativity, which is richly decorated with liquid gold, burgundy, blue, green and red. The marginal imagery has acanthus leaves, cherubs, lions, snails and two roundels. The verso has five lines of music in square chant notation with red four line staves and five lines of lyrics and a rubricated letter in blue and red. The lyrics are the Ad Matutinam from the first Responsory verse of the Nativitas Domini.
 
(668 x 480mm.) A very good example. Two small segments of the margin excised and with illumination and vellum replacements. Most likely a coat-of-arms was removed from the lower margin and a roundel from the left margin. Some rubbing to the lower border and discolouration.