Cleveland Museum of Art

Bifolio from a Book of Hours: Initial V with Floral Border (recto); Text (verso)

Date: c. 1460–1500
Medium: ink, tempera and gold on vellum
Culture: Austria (? ) or Bohemia (?), 15th century
Department: Medieval Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art

The word dirge, today meaning a mournful hymn for funerals, comes from the opening Latin in the Office of the Dead, seen just after the decorative letter A at upper left. During the Middle Ages, dirge became the shortened way to refer to the Office of the Dead. Although primarily recited at funerals, the office was also prayed at home as a reminder of mortality and a protection against sudden death. Surrounding the text, which contains Psalm 5, is a border decoration of acanthus leaves, believed to grow in paradise, as well as a parrot, a squirrel, a beetle, and flowers. The Office of the Dead, usually at the end of books of hours, contains the same set of prayers the ordained used during funeral rites.

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