Beschreibung:

MOSES PREACHING TO THE ISRAELITES, historiated initial ‘D’ from a choirbook, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Siena, second half 15th century
MOSES PREACHING TO THE ISRAELITES, historiated initial ‘D’ from a choirbook, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Siena, second half 15th century] A vibrant and expressive miniature from the circle of Pellegrino di Mariano, close to his work on the corali of the Duomo di Siena, presumably from a choirbook commissioned by an important Sienese institution. 175x180 mm. Framed. On the verso, four-line staves and the text '[...] et dicite / [...]us Sal[...]' (some rubbing and craquelure to the gold, occasional flaking of the pigments). Pellegrino di Mariano Rossini (act.1449-d.1492) was a pupil of Giovanni di Paolo (c. 1403-1482), one of the most important members of the 15th-century Sienese school; like his teacher, he worked both as a painter and manuscript illuminator, we see him accepting payments for commissions from 1450 – this a painting – onwards. Along with Sano di Pietro, Pellegrino was one of the most prominent Sienese manuscript illuminators of the second half of the 15th century: from the 1450s until the 1480s, the two collaborated on many prestigious commissions, including sets of choirbooks made for major patrons and religious houses in Tuscany. The corali for which Pellegrino di Mariano is perhaps best known are the three imposing sets for three important Sienese institutions: the Duomo di Pienza (made 1460-1462, commissioned by Pope Pius II), the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala (c.1475-1477) and the Duomo di Siena (1465-1480, Siena) (see M Bollati (ed.), Dizionario biografico dei miniatori Italiani (2004, pp.856-858 for further information). The artist of the present miniature may have worked with him on, or been inspired by, the corali of the Duomo di Siena: the iridescent palette, applied with thin brushstrokes to create a soft, almost shimmering, texture is close to the miniatures seen in these choirbooks. The lively and articulate scene, populated by almond-eyed figures with expressive faces, is typical of Pellegrino di Mariano’s work, both painted and manuscript.