Regions: Bologna (2 of 2)

The book trade in Bologna also thrived during the fourteenth century, dominated by the illuminator Niccolò da Bologna (active 1349–1403/1404). Niccolò’s most accomplished follower was the remarkable Master of the Brussels Initials (active c. 1385–1410), who eventually left Italy for a successful career in Paris. The finest work from the latter’s Bolognese period is a missal made for Cardinal Cosimo de' Migliorati (1336–1406), who became Pope Innocent IV in 1404; it was subsequently acquired by the Antipope John XXIII (served 1410–1415). The Brussels Initials Master incorporated Niccolò’s distinct rich tonalities of reds, blues, and golds, along with his intensity of psychological expression. But he also introduced a new element of exuberance and playfulness in the borders with minstrels, hunters, animals, fantastic creatures, and colorful vegetation that seems to grow on the page.

Regions: Florence and Siena (1 of 2) Regions: Bologna (1 of 2)