The Adoration of the Three Magi, historiated initial [Europe, 19th century]

cutting, c.240x195mm, vellum, historiated initial 'E', 128x128mm, for the Epiphany introit 'Ecce advenit', in fine condition

This miniature is the work of a skilled artist who probably drew inspiration from 15th-century manuscripts from Lombardy and Emilia. The courts of the Visconti in Milan and Pavia, and the Este in Ferrara became gathering points for itinerant painters and illuminators from the various centers in the region, and these artists were engaged in the decoration of luxurious books for private devotion and humanist texts, in addition to large scale service books for the ducal churches. The present initial was probably inspired by large-scale examples as found in Choirbooks.