This  16th-century Antiphonary is a large illuminated manuscript leaf from a medieval choir book (antiphonary or gradual), written and notated on parchment. The page features square neumatic notation on a four-line red staff, typical of Gregorian chant manuscripts used in monastic and ecclesiastical settings.

The text, in Latin Gothic script, includes alternating lines of red and black ink, with rubricated letters marking liturgical instructions. The large blue and red decorated initials (“E” and “P”) introduce different sections of the chant, both serving decorative and functional purposes for easy reading during communal singing.

This leaf likely dates from the 15th or early 16th century, a period when such manuscripts were still produced for large choir use, often on parchment for durability and visibility. The visible notation corresponds to a liturgical chant for Advent, referring to the Annunciation (“Ecce virgo concipiet…” — “Behold, a virgin shall conceive…”).
CHSOS Collection – item #2.