The present initial C with the Adoration bears all the characteristics of the art of Girolamo dai Libri. His oeuvre of richly ornamented miniatures and figural elegance marks the peak of northern Italian Renaissance illumination. The particular ground around the initial in the shape of golden bricks is a frequently used element in this artist’s work, reappearing elsewhere in his oeuvre. The initial C probably introduced the hymn chanted at Vespers on Christmas day, “Christe redemptor omnium ex patre patris unice…” ("Jesus, the Father’s only Son, whose death for all redemption won…"). The miniature likely belonged to a hymnal containing various hymns for the liturgical year. Girolamo’s miniatures show his persisting admiration for Andrea Mantegna’s art. For his kneeling Virgin and the young Joseph, the artist also looks back to Mantegna’s typology. At the end of the Middle Ages, Joseph came into focus in representations of the Holy Family, being portrayed as a younger or even youthful man, who participates actively in the daily family life.
Read more about this artwork in our Christmas Spotlight, and in our Spotlight on Italian Illumination.
