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Historiated initial with King David playing the lute

Manuscript Cutting
c.1495-1505 (illuminated)
Artist/Maker
Libri, Girolamo Dai (attributed to)
Libri, Francesco Dai (attributed to)
Place of origin
Verona (city) (illuminated)

In Italy illuminated choirbooks and liturgical manuscripts contain the work of large numbers of miniature painters. Some individuals can be identified. This initial B is attributed to Girolamo dai Libri of Verona. It shows King David, one of the great heroes of the Old Testament, reclining on a rich carpet and playing a stringed instrument. King David was a musician and was traditionally believed to be the author of the Psalms.
The large size of the initial and the quality of its execution are reflections of the magnificence of such books.

Object details

Categories
Christianity
Clothing
Manuscripts
Musical Instruments
Manuscript Cutting
Medieval and Renaissance
Object type
Manuscript cutting
TitleHistoriated initial with King David playing the lute
Materials and techniques
Tempera on parchment
Parchment
Pigments
Gold
Illumination
Brief description
Historiated initial B, with King David playing the lute, from a choir book, Verona, c. 1495-1505.
Physical description
Historiated initial B with a scene of King David playing the lute, with attendants, a monkey on a ball and chain, and a dog. The letter-shape is made up of triton grasping a dragon coiled into the letter B.
It probably marked the beginning of the psalter: 'Beatus vir...' (Psalm 1).
Verso not visible. Mounted onto card.
Dimensions
  • Height: 275mm
  • Width: 270mm
Production typeUnique
Gallery label
Fragmented Illuminations: Medieval and Renaissance Manuscript Cuttings at the V&A, 08/09/2021 - 26/06/2022, rooms 88A-90



Girolamo dai Libri (1475 – about 1555): Panel Painter and Illuminator

Born to a prominent family of Veronese illuminators,
Girolamo dai Libri also painted large-scale altarpieces.
The gentle tonal shifts and palette employed here
are typical of the dai Libri style and also feature in the
bound choirbook displayed nearby. The letter ‘B’ framing
the scene marked the beginning of the Book of Psalms
(‘Beatus vir’), traditionally ascribed to King David.



Initial ‘B’ showing King David playing the lute, from a psalter

Attributed to Girolamo dai Libri

Verona, Italy, about 1495–1502

Ink, gold, watercolour and bodycolour on parchment

Museum no. E.1168-1921
Credit line
Bequeathed by D. M. Currie.
Object history
From a choir book (Psalter-hymnal or Psalter-antiphonary?]. Levi d'Ancona suggested it could come from a psalter for which Girolamo dai Libri was paid on October 7, 1502, by the olivetan monastery of Santa Maria in Organo (Levi d'Ancona, 1969, p. 21).
Bequeathed by David Martin Currie in 1921.
Subjects depicted
Dog
Monkey (Animal)
David (King)
Literary referenceOld Testament
Summary
In Italy illuminated choirbooks and liturgical manuscripts contain the work of large numbers of miniature painters. Some individuals can be identified. This initial B is attributed to Girolamo dai Libri of Verona. It shows King David, one of the great heroes of the Old Testament, reclining on a rich carpet and playing a stringed instrument. King David was a musician and was traditionally believed to be the author of the Psalms.
The large size of the initial and the quality of its execution are reflections of the magnificence of such books.
Bibliographic references
  • Early Italian Art, from 1300 to 1550, The New Gallery, 1893-4 p. 137, no. 1318.
  • Catalogue of Miniatures, Leaves, and Cuttings from Illuminated Manuscripts. Victoria and Albert Museum. Department of Engraving, Illustration and Design, by S.C. Cockerell and C. Harcourt Smith (London: HMSO, 1923, 2nd edition). p. 90.
  • Levi d'Ancona, M., 'A masterpiece by Girolamo dai Libri', in Victoria and Albert Museum Yearbook 1969, London, 1969, pp. 16-26.
  • Levi d'Ancona, M.,The Wildenstein Collection of illuminations. The Lombard school, Florence: L.S. Olschki, 1970. pp. 70, 74.
  • Castiglioni, G. and Marinelli S. (eds), Miniatura veronese del rinascimento, Museo del Castelvecchio, Verona, 1986. no. 57 (U. Bauer-Eberhardt; attributed to Girolamo dai Libri, ca.1495).
  • Alexander, J.J.G. (ed.),The Painted Page. Italian Renaissance Book Illumination (1450-1550), exhibition catalogue, London, Royal Academy of Arts 27 October 1994 - 22 January 1995, Munich - New York, 1994. pp. 32, 219, no. 115 (attributed to Girolamo dai Libri, ca.1495).
  • Marinelli, Sergio and Marini, Paola, eds., Mantegna e le arti a Verona, 1450-1500, Venezia : Marsilio, 2006 no. 110, pp. 359-360 (attributed to Francesco dai Libri; see this bibliographic reference for a summary of the attributions to Girolamo or his father Francesco).
  • Castiglioni, G., and Peretti, G., Per Girolamo dai Libri (ca.1474-1555), pittore e miniatore del Rinascimento veronese, exhibition catalogue, Verona, Museo del Castelvecchio, 12 July 2008-15 February 2009, Verona: Marsilio, 2008. no. 7 (cuttings probably from the documented psalter-hymnal made for the olivetan monastery of Santa Maria in Organo in Verona, paid for in 1502).
  • Bollati, M. (ed).Dizionario biografico dei miniatori italiani secoli IX-XVI. Preface by Miklós Boskovits. Milan, 2004. mistakenly mentioned on pp. 388 and 389 by C. Quattrini as being a full antiphonary dated to 1492. The antiphonary in question is V&A, Museum no. MSL/1866/4929.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.1168-1921

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Record createdJanuary 13, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O89301/historiated-initial-with-king-david-manuscript-cutting-libri-girolamo-dai/
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