Artworks

This is a splendid historiated initial created by an enigmatic artist from Abruzzo, the Master of the Beffi Triptych. He was active as a panel painter, fresco painter, and illuminator and received his sobriquet after an altarpiece made for the collegiate church of Santa Maria del Ponte near Beffi. Other leaves that come from the same mother manuscript bear the escutcheon of the Acquaviva, one of the great seven noble houses of Naples. 

The remarkable initial B on a divided gold and blue background shows the Virgin Mary standing upright, with her hands folded as if in prayer in front of her chest. She is dressed in muted shades wearing a beige cloak with a blue lining and peach-toned tunic. The soft and artful modelling of her rounded face emphasises her youth and the pink flush of her cheeks imbibes her portrait with life. Her thoughtful gaze wanders into the distance, past the onlooker, giving her an enraptured expression. The body of the letter, which almost seem to sprout from the standing figure, mirrors the colours of the Virgin’s dress.

The artist responsible for this beautiful miniature is dubbed the Master of the Beffi Triptych after an altarpiece in the Museo Nazionale d'Abruzzo in L’Aquila. This somewhat mysterious but very talented Italian artist was active as a panel painter and as an illuminator of manuscripts. He was one of the high-ranking artists in Abruzzo, where he was also responsible for the frescoes in San Silvestro in Aquila and a lavishly decorated Missal commissioned by Napoleone II Orsini for San Francesco in Guardiagrele. Notwithstanding his activity in the Abbruzzo, the artist’s style beautifully combines elements of Sienese and Bolognese art. 

With its combination of soft peach shades and striking red and blue, the initial draws the gaze of the viewer to the focal point of the work – the beautifully rendered face of the youthful Virgin.