The Annunciation to the Virgin, large historiated initial from an Antiphoner, in Latin [Italy (Venice), c.1420-30]

cutting, 160x150mm, vellum, initial 'M' for the antiphon ‘Missus est Gabriel angelus’, for the Feast of the Annunciation, the reverse with remains of 2 lines of text and music on four-line red staves, rastrum 38mm, ‘[...]nt tibi ado/[...] Celi e.e o e’, some flaking of gold and minor pigment losses, set into a tissue support, inscribed in pencil ‘Kraus 21/12/95’ and a black ink stamp ‘Giuseppe Baldisse’ with a lion

The initial is in the easily-recognised style of the prolific illuminator CRISTOFORO CORTESE. He was the leading Venetian artist of the first half of the 15th century, who worked not only as an illuminator but also as a panel painter. His long career spans from c.1390 until his death in 1443. He was first mentioned as a miniator in the Mariegola (rule book) of the Scuola di S. Caterina dei Sacchi, Venice (Venice, Correr, MS. IV, 118), written around the turn of the 15th century. He also signed some of his works, and on the basis of stylistic comparison, numerous other illuminations have been attributed to Cortese and his circle. The present illumination is a very fine work by Cortese and careful attention is given to facial features, especially the eyes and hair, and the flesh is modelled with fine dense brush strokes, using large amounts of white and pink.