Female Saint, cutting from a Gradual(?) within a historiated Initial O or D, illuminated by the Master of the Murano Gradual.
Italy, Venice, c. 1410-25
On the reverse, fragmentary text and two partial four-line musical staves. – In excellent condition.
Against a resplendent golden background, a female figure stands. Her hands are crossed in front of her chest in a devoted, almost supplicant gesture, whith her melancholy gaze wandering past the onlooker into the distance. While the palette of the miniature relies mostly on muted colours, a striking burnt terracotta being used for the sleeve lining and for the body of the initial as well as in the faint blush on cheek and lips of the female figure. The fair-haired woman, possibly a saint, wears a greyish blue cloak over a pale beige dress mirroring her warm gold blonde hair. The voluminous dress is luxuriously trimmed with gold. An airy, gauze like underdress is visible at the cuffs and neckline and its embroidered details are echoed in the white penwork decoration of the initial.
The initial might have once been part of a Gradual made for the monastery of San Mattia near Venice. It was a luxurious commission created by the Master of the Murano Gradual, who is considered to be one of the most distinguished illuminators active in Lombardy and the Veneto in his time. The Master’s style seems to owe much to the Lombard illuminator Belbello da Pavia (1430-c.1473). The styles of both Masters share several characteristics, notably in the rich ornamentation of fabrics, the strongly contrasting colours and the rinceaux on the highly burnished gold halos. However, while there is a connection to Belbello’s style, the Master of the Murano Gradual’s figures are more broadly conceived and modelled solemnly and expressive. It is possible that both artists worked together.
The real achievement of the Master of the Murano Gradual and most captivating feature of this wonderful miniature, can be found in the technical skill and sensitivity with which he exquisitely modelled face and expression of the female figure. Her face with its high forehead, thinly curved brows, rosebud lips and soft cheeks, manifests the beauty ideal of that time while still carrying original personality. The melancholy and pensive young woman is a truly exquisite example of the master’s memorable style.
