Books of Hours were the bestsellers of the medieval manuscript world — personal prayer books, commissioned for private devotion and often illuminated with far more lavish artistry than their modest size would suggest, since a wealthy patron's own prayer book was as much a status object as a religious tool. This single leaf, separated from its original bound volume at some point in the centuries since, depicts the Annunciation: the Virgin Mary at prayer as a haloed, green-winged angel appears before her, a white dove of the Holy Spirit descending overhead — one of the most frequently illustrated scenes in the genre, since Books of Hours were structured around the daily prayer cycle the Annunciation traditionally opens. What to notice: the background is real gold leaf, burnished to a mirror shine and worked with a fine tooled pattern — a material extravagance no printed book could ever match, and the reason single leaves like this one survive as prized objects independent of the books they were cut from.

Maker: Unidentified illuminator
Date: 15th century
Medium of the original: Illuminated manuscript
Original held by: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Rights: Public domain, verified
Catalogue number: PA-00304

As chosen: 8 x 12 in, art print, classic frame
Picture	8 x 12 in
Outside size	9.6 x 13.6 in
Depth	0.9 in (22 mm)
Weight	[[REAL PROOF NEEDED: shipped weight per size and frame]]
Hanging	[[REAL PROOF NEEDED: hanging hardware Prodigi fits to this frame]]
Material	Enhanced matte art paper, 200 gsm; acrylic glazing
Made in	Charlotte, North Carolina, by Prodigi

Before a size goes on sale, the file is measured against it: pixels per inch at that size, how much of the picture a crop would lose, tone and sharpness. A size that fails is not offered, so there is nothing to choose wrong.

How the print check works

Sizes offered
Size	dpi	Grade	How it fits
8 x 12 in	176	Good	Trimmed 3.5%

Sizes withheld
Size	Why
8 x 10 in	Wrong shape: a 20% crop
11 x 14 in	Wrong shape: a 18% crop
12 x 16 in	Wrong shape: a 14% crop
12 x 18 in	117 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
16 x 20 in	Wrong shape: a 20% crop
16 x 24 in	88 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
18 x 24 in	Wrong shape: a 14% crop
20 x 30 in	70 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
24 x 30 in	Wrong shape: a 20% crop
24 x 36 in	58 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
30 x 40 in	Wrong shape: a 14% crop
36 x 48 in	Wrong shape: a 14% crop
40 x 60 in	35 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged