The Carnesecchi-Velluti Book of Hours is a reflection of the high social standing and the exquisite taste of its patrons, the Florentine family of bankers, who belonged to the circle of the Medici and cultivated connections all over Europe. The manuscript might have been a wedding or betrothal gift for Maria Maddalena Velluti, described as a “woman of great genius” by her brother Paolo Velluti.
It is difficult to put the richness of its imagery into words: this book of hours is decorated with countless initials in gold, red and blue with fine pen-flourishes in red or purple. There are also ten 2- to 3- line initials on gold with minor border decoration, as well as eight 3- to 5- line historiated initials in gold and in color, that are also accompanied by border decoration. The tome prominently features five full-page inserted frame miniatures, surrounded by full floral borders and flanked by an adjacent decorated page with an historiated initial and various historiated medallions. It includes not only a variety of noteworthy religious scenes, but also plenty of fauna and flora, including dolphins and various birds, in the margins. The mastery of these paintings, created by Florentine illuminator Attavante and his workshop, leaves the observer in awe.
Among Attavantes finest work in this book are the miniatures of young David, Death hovering over his victims and Christ in agony at Gethsemane. Vante di Gabriello di Vante Attavanti or Attavante degli Attavanti (1452- d. c. 1520?) was one of the leading illuminators in Renaissance Florence. He was employed by, among others, Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, for whom he illuminated various liturgical books.
This particular tome has traversed a dramatic journey through time. Its ownership can be traced to the Paris-based Wildenstein family, who purchased it in 1927. It was stolen from their vault at the Banque de France in October 1940 by members of the Nazi Devisenschutzkommando Frankreich. The manuscript was held in the repository of stolen art in Füssen (Bavaria) until its return to France in 1945.
The Carnesecchi-Velluti Book of Hours is a witness of extraordinary moments in European art history: The triumph of Renaissance bookmaking, the life of a wealthy Florentine family, the violent appropriation of art by the Nazis, and lastly, the restitution and rescue of irreplaceable cultural heritage.
