3-037-592 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Leaf from a Book of Hours, about 1410-1430. Additional Info:This magnificent leaf is from an otherwise lost manuscript that may have never been completed, as the leaf features unfinished miniatures on both sides. The front of the leaf likely depicts the refusal of the offering of Joachim and Anna at the Temple. According to Christian legend, when Joachim and Anna approached the Temple with an animal sacrifice on a feast day, they were turned away by the high priest, based on their childless, and therefore, unfavored state in the eyes of God. The story is represented as an elaborate scene of chaos and disruption, with figures, animals, and complex architecture weaving around the text and the sides of the page to its center. Soon after their refusal at the Temple, Joachim and Anna were blessed with a child, the Virgin Mary, and it is likely that this image faced a full-page miniature depicting the Annunciation to the Virgin. The large size of the leaf as well as the unusual imagery and the inclusion of additional scenes depicting the Creation on the reverse side indicate that it was intended for a particularly elaborate and lavish prayer book. Attributed to the Rohan Master or immediate circle.