With an Imposing Flamboyant Enormous Initial

Stock #: ST10126a           $6000
PJP Catalog 57.079

     A FINE ILLUMINATED VELLUM MANUSCRIPT LEAF WITH AN IMMENSE AND SPLENDID INITIAL "D" FROM THE INTROIT FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST IN LATIN.
(Italy  15th century)   533 x 375 mm. (21 x 14 3/4"). Five lines each of music on four-line staves and of text in a clean rounded gothic hand.       Attractively matted.    Rubrics in red and blue large and intricate flourished capitals in black with yellow wash two quite large maiblumen initials in red or blue with penwork in the contrasting color and RECTO WITH A SPLENDID AND ENORMOUS "O" IN VERY MANY COLORS ON A BURNISHED GOLD GROUND the initial (in magenta with white and black tracery and modelling) enclosing very elaborate vegetal forms in many colors and gold set on a background of red with white tracery and terminating in the margin with lush foliage in several colors on a gold ground.       Very small losses of paint in the large initial one lower corner a little yellowed trivial trimming of a few wispy tendrils at very top but still IN QUITE FINE CONDITION the initial very well preserved in general and with none of its considerable impact lost.

The text here is from the Introit of the Mass for the feast of the birth of John the Baptist one of only three figures whose birthdays--understood as the beginning of life on earth--are celebrated by the Catholic liturgy. Only John Christ and the Virgin Mary have this distinction; the "births" of all the other holy personages are considered to be that time at which they "died" and therefore entered into eternal life. Not only is the majestic initial here powerful in its impact because of its size but also because it is flamboyant and even daring in its choice of color. The artist has used magenta for the main body of the initial and red for the ground enclosed by the "D" a combination that could hardly be more clashing. But somehow he has pulled off this juxtaposition partly because of the oval band of yellow he has placed between the two areas of color.