1860 HAND PAINTED ILLUMINATED FRONTISPIECE LEAF from a FAMILY BIBLE. This frontispiece leaf was hand painted and illuminated on a blank prelim page of an 1802 BIBLE owned by the HARDY FAMILY of Hampstead, England.

The leaf measures 5.5x 9". It has been disbound but is still sewn at spine together with the 1802 Bible's title page and a few pages of the Bible's Preface. The names, dates, and information on this gorgeous one-of-a-kind leaf are (some words painted legibly large, some almost hidden in the lovely painted ribbons and decorations): JOSEPH HARDY / Born May 16, 1788; MARY CLARKE SOUTHARD / Born May 29, 1790; JOHN FORBES HARDY / Born at Hampstead Oct 24th 1816. / Married June 12 1847 / ROSE (PARSLOP?) (At the bottom right in tiny letters hidden in a colored band) MARIANNE (HAYWARD?) / FECIT (i.e. painted / made by Marianne Hayward) (At the bottom left in tiny letters) 1860. Condition: There is some foxing and toning, but overall the illuminated leaf is gorgeous, and the gold stands out tangibly. The backside of the leaf and the facing title page of the bible are stained and darkened from where the paint bled through. JOHN FORBES HARDY is a relatively obscure ARTIST from HAMPSTEAD, ENGLAND, who was active as a painter from 1847 to 1874. One of his better known works is believed to be of a view of "Hampstead Heath". I do not know, and cannot seem to find out, who the illuminator / painter, Marianne Hayward, is - but someone must know because the work is so lovely. RARE and UNIQUE - an Illuminated Leaf related to HARDY, SOUTHARD and FORBES Families.