The illuminated leaf at hand, impressive in size and rich in decorations, comes from a yet unidentified choirbook certainly finished in 1550, as indicated by the date inscribed in the cartouche on the left border of the page. This is a very late date for the creation of an illuminated manuscript, considering that printed books began to surpass manuscripts as early as the late 15th century. Clearly, the original patron.ess of this choirbook had a particular taste for the meticulous work of scribes and illuminators. It is likely that the manuscript from which this leaf originates was created in a monastic environment, as monasteries continued to appreciate manuscripts, and continued to employ scribes and illuminators, particularly for the creation of choirbooks, which were still used for the liturgical services.

This illuminated leaf contains a portion of the beginning of the Commune Sanctorum (part of the Temporale section of the text). A large and beautifully illuminated initial “B” opens the chant Benedicat nos deus, which was recited on the first Sunday after Pentecost, to celebrate the Trinity, itself illustrated within the initial “B”. The painting follows the iconographic tradition known as the Throne of Grace: God the Father, wearing a crown, is seated on a throne in the sky. He supports the Cross bearing the body of Christ, while the upper part is occupied by the Holy Spirit, represented as a white dove from which rays emanate. This illuminated leaf is further adorned with large floral decorations gracefully entwined, with putti playing: in the lower margin, two naked putti play together, while in the left margin, the naked putto climbs the floral decoration, the dressed putto in the center supports a cartouche bearing the date, most certainly of when the manuscript was completed, and the other dressed putto at the top of the same border supports the initial “B” with the Trinity inside. The stylistic study of this high-quality page, characterized by saturated colors, a lively, and masterful brushstroke, as well as a pronounced taste for exuberant forms, places our illuminated leaf in southern Germany. Stylistic elements of our page recall the works of the famous Nikolaus Glockendon (important German illuminator active in Nuremberg during the first half of the 16th century) and his workshop.

Since the illumination of the present leaf is most certainly due to a professional illuminator active in southern Germany, and since its date (1550) points towards a monastic commission, it is worth mentioning the hypothesis that the original choirbook was made for the important monastery of Salem, near Constance. Founded in 1134, it had its own scriptorium as early as the 12th century. However, the manuscripts’ decorations don’t show a clearly uniform local style, and most of the manuscripts were illuminated by artists from outside (mainly Augsburg, Ulm, or Nuremberg). Over the centuries, the abbots of the monastery built up what would become one of the most important monastic libraries in Germany. After secularization, the library passed into the hands of the House of Baden in 1802, but it was soon acquired by Heidelberg University, which had lost a large part of its original collections during the wars of the 17th and 18th centuries.