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Lorenzo Monaco (?), detail of an historiated initial A with the three Marys at the grave, c.1396-1404, tempera and gold leaf on parchment, 458 x 480 mm, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale Musée du Louvre, Cabinet des Dessins
This historiated initial H with a scene of the Adoration of the Magi has been cut from an illuminated manuscript.[1]The open counter of the letter H captures an intimate scene with the infant Jesus seated on the Virgin Mary’s lap and the bearded King Melchior kneeling before them touching the child’s little foot in reverence. On the left the other two Magi, Caspar and Balthasar, await their turn with gifts in their hands. Their halos and gifts have been enhanced with gold leaf. The initial that frames the scene mimics the characteristics of architectural elements such as the pedestal, ornamental lines, and an arrangement of small arcades around the stems of the columns.
The colorful acanthus leaves that surround the initial H and the gold dots with black ornamental lines coming out of them, along with the way in which the clouds are depicted, indicate that these are decorative motifs of Italian origin. The refined bird, especially, was an element en vogue in the last decade of the fourteenth century and echoes the work of the last illuminators connected to the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence, especially to Lorenzo Monaco (1370/1371-1423/1424) (fig.). Similar illuminations with bird motifs were made in Florence during this time and later, for instance by Francesco di Antonio del Chierico (1433-1484) especially in choir books, thus the fragment is probably of Florentine origin, dating from the mid 1420s to early 1430s.
Though the historiated initial is now separated from its parental liturgical book, it is likely that the H was intended to introduce the antiphon sung on the feast of Epiphany: Hodie in Iordane baptizato Domino (Today Christ was baptized in the Jordan). Epiphany, also known as Theophany, is a Christian feast day commemorating the Adoration of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus and the wedding at Cana. The initial would originally have been part of a larger ensemble of chants, such as the fragment found on the verso. The rubric on the verso precedes the antiphon Afferte domino filii dei (Bring to the Lord O Sons of God). This would be sung on the Sunday before Epiphany or at Epiphany itself. The rubric with the text indicates it would be sung ad matutinum (at matins), however it remains unclear which exact day.
The text that precedes the antiphon reads:
[…]…ep(ip)h(an)ya d(omi)ni. Ad matutinum - […] epiphany of the Lord. Until the morning
[…] dicitur. D(omi)ne labia mea ap(er)ies - […] it will be said. Lord you will open my lips
[…] absolute incipit ebdomada - […] with absolution begins the week
[…] ant(iphon). Afferte d(omi)no filii. - […] antiphon. Bring to the Lord, O Sons of God
The first words of the antiphon read:
[Afferte domin]o filii dei ado|[rate]… - Bring to the Lord, O Sons of God, worship […]
This previously unpublished fragment came into the museum’s collection as part of a significant donation of drawings and prints from Adriaan Domela Nieuwenhuis in 1923. The inventory book of his collection shows that aside from drawings and prints he also took an interest in miniatures and manuscript fragments of French, German, and Italian origin.
Footnotes
[1]With gratitude for the advice of Beatrice Alai, Erene Morcos, and Federica Toniolo.
