David in prayer before God, very large historiated initial cut from an illuminated manuscript choirbook on vellum

Estimate

3,000 - 5,000 GBP

bidding is closed

Description

a cutting, 122mm. by 135mm. plus leafy extensions, David in prayer in the wilderness kneeling beside a river emerging from a cave in a gaunt landscape gazing up at God seated full-length in the clouds surrounded by cherubim and seraphim, soft colours, fluffy clouds, all within a very large initial ‘V’ in lush leafy design in colours with white tracery, on a burnished gold panel ground, verso with part of text in a large rounded hand and of music on a 4 line red stave, cut to shape, framed

Catalogue Note

Boehlen Collection, MS 1416 ES, bought from Maggs, December 1989. Previously in the collection of Carlo Prayer (1826-1900), of Milan, and of the Bernasconi family (it is signed on the verso by Maria di Bernasconi, 1977); sold by Juan and Felix Bernasconi at Christie’s, 24 June 1987, lot 242, with plate. It appears to be from the same group of cuttings as the leaf sold in these rooms, 19 June 1990, lot 36, and an initial sold at Christie’s, 20 June 1990, lot 20 (afterwards Maggs, Bulletin 16, no.32). The former was afterwards identified as being by Giovan Pietro da Cemmo, a fresco painter and illuminator who worked for a number of Augustinian houses in Brescia, Cremona and Crema itself. He illuminated a large set of choirbooks for the Augustinians of Brescia, of which isolated cuttings survive in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana (F 227 Inf nn.49 and 54-56) and in the Pinoteca Tosio Martinengo in Brescia. The present initial may well be from the same source. Cf. M. Marubbi, ‘Giovan Pietro da Cemmo miniatore’, Arte Lombarda, CI, 1992, pp.7-31; and M. Bollati in Una collezione di miniature italiane, ed. F. Todini, III, 1999, pp.74-9, no.XIII.

The miniature is perhaps an illustration for the antiphon and then full psalm, ‘Voce mea ad dominum’ (Ps.76), which opens Compline on Fridays.