Golden Hours: The Borromeo Hours created by a close colleague of Leonardo Da Vinci

Ambrogio de Predis, Italy, Milan, 1474

Book of Hours with abbreviated Psalter made for Francesco Borromeo, possibly copied by Angelo Meraviglia. With numerous red and blue initials, continuous rubrication, 12 large illuminated initials on a field of gold with marginal extensions, 2 historiated initials, 14 miniatures by (Giovanni) Ambrogio de Predis. Binding: 18th century, brown Morocco.

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Illuminated manuscript on vellum

93 x 70 mm. – 247 leaves. With 14 illuminated initials (2 of which historiated) and 14 miniatures.

135

of 257

Glistening golden details capture the light and reveal the artist's finesse

Overview

The 14 miniatures in this spectacular manuscript were created by Ambrogio de Predis, a personal friend and colleague of Leonardo da Vinci, and a renowned panel painter and fine portraitist in his own right. His excellent work as manuscript illuminator had first been recognised and documented in this precious manuscript. The miniatures are very carefully painted with a great feeling for natural beauty and elegance, which was recognised by the book collector H.P. Kraus who argued that “the importance of this manuscript cannot be overestimated” (Cimelia, 1983).

In 1482, Ambrogio was among the painters of the Sforza court, and he and his three brothers hosted Leonardo da Vinci when the virtuoso first came to Milan. Documents seem to confirm the brothers’ close collaboration with Leonardo. Ambrogio’s own versatility as an artist was recognised by the most high-ranking and influential patrons; in 1492, Ambrogio was requested to create a drawing of Bianca Maria Sforza, destined to be the bride of Maximilian I of Habsburg. One year later, he was invited to paint portraits of the most important members of the court at Innsbruck.

When William Suida first published this manuscript in 1951, the discovery of this previously unknown work by Ambrogio was a sensational event, especially as the unequivocal attribution and exact date of execution the book was documented. This is the only series of Ambrogio de Predis’ manuscript illuminations, which can be identified with certainty from contemporary records of payment, and it is apparently one of his earliest known works.

In the miniatures in the book at hand, the artist employed an extraordinary attractive palette of stunning blues, purples, greens, while adding very subtle, fine golden ornamentation. The delicately applied golden detailing, on robes, in landscapes with golden grass and flowers, skies with gauzy clouds or small stars, and on ornamented frames, make the exquisite creations capture the light with their glistening pages. Some of the graceful faces with subtle blushes are almost like portraits – demonstrating the incredible ability of the painter to switch between creating large format panels to working on preciously small space on vellum.

Read more about this manuscript in our Spotlight.

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