Artworks

This large, handsome initial V depicts a holy bishop, possibly Saint Benedict, seated on a throne. The saintly Abbot is dressed in a long white robe – the hooded habit of the Ordo Sancti Benedicti, which Benedict of Nursia founded in 529 on Monte Cassino. In his right hand, he carries a bishop’s staff, signaling his ministry as God’s shepherd. In his left, he holds a black book adorned with delicate white tracing, probably symbolising the Benedictine Rule. On his head, he carries a white miter adorned with braids in gold, blue, and red. The gentle folds of the white robe, delicately shaded in darker and lighter greys, give the body beneath heft and shape. Due to the bishop's seated posture, directly facing the viewer, the artist had to apply foreshortening to uphold balanced proportions; a difficult technique that speaks to his advanced training and mastery.

The elegant grey initial V is adorned with voluminous acanthus leaves in warm orange, green and blue tones. Delicate white tracings embellish the leaves and letter and the empty spaces between leaves and letter glisten with warm gold, mirroring the bishop’s halo. While the style of this miniature is very unusual, the decoration – especially the foliage that adorns and surrounds the initial – points to a Tuscan, probably Florentine origin of the illumination. 

Rather uncommon are the facial features of the bishop, since they are not as idealised as Tuscan and Florentine painting traditionally aspire to. The bishop’s pronounced cheeks above his greyish beard are emphasised by shadows in shades of grey and his nose is rather broad and fleshy. With his narrow-set eyes, he sends his gaze melancholically into the void. His furrowed forehead follows the curve of his eyebrows giving him a pensive and slightly saddened expression.

The facial features of the saint contrast with the rather striking and vibrant colouration of the acanthus leaves, focusing the gaze of the beholder on the grey-clad figure.