St Michael slaying the Dragon, historiated initial 'F' cut from an illuminated choirbook on vellum [Urbino?, c.1350]
Details
Central Italian artist
St Michael slaying the Dragon, historiated initial 'F' cut from an illuminated choirbook on vellum [Urbino?, c.1350]
An engaging miniature of St Michael and the Dragon, from a choirbook produced in the Marche.
265 x 174mm. The historiated initial 'F' opening the Feast of St Michael 'Factum est silentium in caelo'; 5 lines of text and music on a four-line red stave, reverse with 5 lines of text and music, rubric in red, initials touched in red (some marginal thumbing, remnants of adhesive on the back, a few smudges to the blue, else in good condition). Provenance: Paris, Ader, 27 June 2019, lot 8.
Illumination:
The historiated initial is characteristic of central Italian illumination of the middle of the 14th century: the deep blues of the background and the shape of the foliate extensions are those found in Umbrian and Tuscan manuscripts of the period, while the figure of St Michael with its bold posture and shaded robes is reminiscent of the work of the so-called Master of the Urbino Choirbooks, an anonymous artist from the Marche with clear Perugian roots and a striking familiarity with the work of early Vanni di Baldolo (on the choirbooks now in the Museo Diocesano Albani in Urbino see G.M. Fachechi, 'Proposte per lo studio della miniatura "marchigiana"', ll Maestro Campodonico, 1998, pp.102-113).
St Michael slaying the Dragon, historiated initial 'F' cut from an illuminated choirbook on vellum [Urbino?, c.1350]
An engaging miniature of St Michael and the Dragon, from a choirbook produced in the Marche.
265 x 174mm. The historiated initial 'F' opening the Feast of St Michael 'Factum est silentium in caelo'; 5 lines of text and music on a four-line red stave, reverse with 5 lines of text and music, rubric in red, initials touched in red (some marginal thumbing, remnants of adhesive on the back, a few smudges to the blue, else in good condition). Provenance: Paris, Ader, 27 June 2019, lot 8.
Illumination:
The historiated initial is characteristic of central Italian illumination of the middle of the 14th century: the deep blues of the background and the shape of the foliate extensions are those found in Umbrian and Tuscan manuscripts of the period, while the figure of St Michael with its bold posture and shaded robes is reminiscent of the work of the so-called Master of the Urbino Choirbooks, an anonymous artist from the Marche with clear Perugian roots and a striking familiarity with the work of early Vanni di Baldolo (on the choirbooks now in the Museo Diocesano Albani in Urbino see G.M. Fachechi, 'Proposte per lo studio della miniatura "marchigiana"', ll Maestro Campodonico, 1998, pp.102-113).
Brought to you by
Mark Wiltshire
Specialist