« S'il te plaît, tu peux me dessiner un insecte ? » demande une voix anonyme à un petit garçon en train de dessiner. Mais il est trop difficile pour l'enfant de dessiner un seul insecte tant il en existe une variété presque infinie. Alors il pourrait dessiner un coquillage à la place ? Mais non, encore une fois, c'est impossible : il en existe plus de cent mille différents, et en plus leur couleur change dans l'eau ! Un album doux et subtil pour célébrer la diversité sous toutes ses formes.
This illuminated manuscript, a gradual of large size which the whole congregation of monks could see and read as they sang in choir (just as they are shown doing in an illustration in the manuscript itself), was previously unknown to scholars and has only recently come to light. It was produced for a monastery of the Olivetan order, a branch of the Benedictines with the particular reverence for the Virgin Mary - probably Santa Maria di Baggio near Milan.
It contains fine miniatures which can be attributed to Girolamo da Milano (died 1449), otherwise known as the "Olivetan Master". Indeed the manuscript sheds considerable light on the oeuvre and style of this master, otherwise a shadowy figure known chiefly for illuminations of detached leaves or cuttings. This important new discovery is discussed by the Italian scholar Milvia Bollati, who uses it to throw further light on Girolamo, the Olivetans and on manuscript illumination in the period between late ('International') Gothic and early Renaissance.
Published in association with Sam Fogg and Les Enluminures.
This scholarly book includes chapters on the art, iconography, and historical context of a remarkable medieval manuscript: a Haggadah with seventy-five watercolor paintings created in the circle of the famous artist Giovannino de' Grassi (d. 1398) in Milan in the late fourteenth century. The book includes contributions from several internationally recognized scholars as well as a full physical description of the Lombard Haggadah, and many colour reproductions.
Extensive comparisons with other art works complete the publication.
