[LIGHTING] Initial "D " historiated. Saint... - Lot 21 - Ader

[LIGHTING] Initial "D " historiated. Saint Laurent Martyr Fragment extracted from an antiphonary of the saints or from a gradual? Tempera, gouache, inks and burnished gold on parchment. Northern Italy, early 16th century Attributable to Michele da Genova (active in Liguria and Emilia between 1488 and 1509) Dimensions: folio (H. 114 x L. 132 mm); initial (H. 109 x L. 122 mm) On a gold background, the initial 'D' in shades of pink and blue illustrates a Saint Lawrence Martyr, also known as Saint Lawrence of Rome, standing on the grill - the instrument of his martyrdom - wearing a white tunic and a purple overcoat . These garments are richly decorated with yokes on a gold background on which we can see holy figures. He is tonestressed and holds a book with a clasp under his left arm and the palm of martyrdom in his right hand. The background, largely absorbed by the sky, reveals the view of a city perched on the heights. Although his attributes and the deacon's habit are traditional in his iconography, this illumination nevertheless seems innovative, since St. Lawrence is most often depicted holding the grill in his hands, rather than standing on the instrument of his martyrdom. In the later phase of Michele da Genova's production, following his Emilian activity, belong a Gradual from the University Library of Genoa (D.XI.3) and two miniatures representing Pentecost and the Last Supper (Princeton, Art Museum, Y1936-16, Y1936-25), dated 1509. His style was then transformed into more supple forms and softened into a flowing, almost liquid rendering of the model, in the manner of the miniature of St. Lawrence and St. Clare preserved in La Spezia. Text: in Latin, Gothic liturgical writing. Verso, square musical notation on staves of four lines drawn in red, " [...] vos elegi [...]", small label with the number "9" on it. Comparison: St. Clare, initial "P", historiated from an ear