Large choir books, like the one at hand, are a very rare find, especially in such excellent condition. They were often taken apart and destroyed due to their enormous decorative value. The pages with gilded and painted initials were well-liked as imposing wall decorations, particularly in the 19th century. Therefore, it is a great pleasure to present such an ancient and wonderful artwork in excellent state.
The ten stunning historiated initials in this manuscript should be ascribed to the close circle of former collaborators of Giotto during his early activity in Assisi and Florence in the last decade of the 13th century. Based on their distinct style, they can be ascribed to one of Giottos closest collaborator: the Master of Santa Cecilia. Our artist collaborated with Giotto in the 1290s, when he was entrusted to carry out the last three scenes of the cycle of Saint Francis in the upper Church of San Francesco in Assisi.
Giotto’s influence is clearly visible in this Antiphonary; the vigorous figures as well as the sound articulation of their powerful bodies, displayed wonderfully through their elegantly falling rich garments are clearly guided by him. The haunting scene of the resurrection of Christ on f. 171r is another excellent example of Giotto's influnce. The fluttering drapery draws attention to the body beneath and directs the viewer’s gaze upward, retracing the movement of Christ rising from the grave. Such pictorial subtleties created by economic gestures to guide the viewer through the narrative purpose of the picture, are a peculiar and great achievement of Giotto’s, who would arrange his figures and their movements to emphasise the focal point of the respective scenes.