Tuscany, Florence, late 13th century

St Ursula, historiated initial on a leaf from an Antiphonal, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Florence, late 13th century]

A sensitive depiction of St Ursula, from a Florentine Antiphonal produced at the turn of the 14th century.

c.485 x 375mm. 6 lines of text and music on a four-line stave, the text containing the Feast of St Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins, the initial 'D' opening the responsory 'Dehonoto fuit nata placens', rubrics in red, initials in red with blue penwork infilling (a few creases and marginal staining, some fading to the text and to the robe of the Saint, else in excellent condition). Mounted and framed.

Provenance:
(1) From the collection of the late Dr H.F. Jossi Debrunner (1922-1986) of Chur, Swizerland.

(2) Sotheby's, 3 December 2008, lot 10.

Illumination:
The 2008 Sotheby's catalogue drew parallels with the Virgin in an initial by Berardo da Teramo, active in the first half of the 14th century in the Abruzzi (Palladino, Treasures of a Lost Art, 2003, no 19), and also with another initial published as part of the collection of F. G. Zeileis (Più ridon le carte, 2004, no. 51; also Maggs, Cat. 642, 1938, lot 3, and reproduced there), identified as from Tuscany. Tuscany seems the more probable localisation: comparisons can be made with a Virgin orans in the Burke Collection, attributed to Grifo di Tancredi, c.1290-95, and also (in particular in the ornamentation of the stave) to a miniature with St Peter being released from prison at the Fondazione Cini, inv. 2054 (see G.M. Canova, 'Le miniature della Fondazione Giorgio Cini nella storia del collezionismo e dello stile', Saggi e Memorie di storia dell'arte, 2003, Vol. 27 (2003), pp.104 and 112).