This extraordinary illuminated Elephant Folio Antiphonary was produced in Spain in 1738 for the Order of Our Lady of Mercy (Mercedarians). It was beautifully calligraphed and illuminated by the Dominican friar Sebastian Laraña, one of the earliest documented works by this Spanish illuminator active in the Zaragoza region during the second half of the eighteenth century.
The manuscript is written entirely on vellum (parchment) and remains complete with 106 vellum leaves (212 pages). No leaves are missing. Measuring approximately 80 × 56 × 18 cm (31.5 × 22 × 7.1 inches) and weighing an impressive 23 kg (50.7 lbs), it is a truly monumental choir book that would have been displayed on a large lectern for use by an entire choir.
