TEXT FROM LACTANTIUS' "DE OPIFICIO DEI.

Italy, 15th century. 264 x 200 mm. (10 3/8 x 7 7/8"). Single column, 41 lines, in a neat humanist hand.
With two two-line initials in blue. One corner torn away (not affecting text), a few marginal wormholes, vellum a bit soiled and with a few small stains, but a very good example, the text entirely legible, and overall clean and presentable.

Containing text by an author who was much admired during the Renaissance, this leaf is a lovely example of the humanistic script that emerged in Italy during the 15th century. The elegance and legibility of humanistic script derives from Caroline miniscule, the predominant style of writing in Western manuscripts from the ninth through 12th centuries. Both scripts favor clear, rounded letter forms, wider spacing between letters, and few abbreviations, resulting in manuscripts that are extremely attractive and easy to read. The text here comes from a work titled "De Opificio Dei," exploring the handiwork of God, with a concentration on the marvels of the human body and soul. The present leaf includes chapters 8-10, which discuss the human head, including especially the seats of the senses: eyes, ears, nose, and tongue. Our author, Lactantius (ca. 260-340), was a late-in-life Christian who became one of the ablest defenders of the faith in its early centuries. He was held in high esteem by Renaissance intellectuals, and was one of the earliest authors to be printed, first appearing in 1465..