Initial U (?)

1430s

Master of the Cypresses

Associated Names
Master of the Cypresses

Artist, Spanish, active 1434

This is a painting of an elaborate initial letter "L". The letter "L" is decorated with intricate flourishes that combine organic leaf-like motifs in vibrant green and red hues set against a gold background. The design is ornate, featuring spirals and pointed extensions extending out from the letterform itself. The painting style is reminiscent of medieval manuscript illumination, featuring detailed patterns and a rich use of color and gilding.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    miniature on vellum

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 17.7 x 19.1 cm (6 15/16 x 7 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1964.8.1224

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    NGA Miniatures 1975, no. 46, State M

  • Series Title

    13 Initials from a Choir Book,Antiphonary (1964.8.1218-1230)

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Purchased in Madrid in 1849 by William Stirling-Maxwell [1818 - 1878], London (from an album with his device and bookplate as William Stirling). (Bernard M. Rosenthal, Inc., New York); purchased 1960 by Lessing J. Rosenwald; gift to NGA, 1964.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1975

  • Medieval and Renaissance Miniatures from the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1975, no. 46m, repro.

Bibliography

1975

  • National Gallery of Art. Medieval and Renaissance Miniatures from the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1975: 46, M.

1993

  • Anderson, Barbara C. "A Fifteenth-Century Illumination and the Work of Pedro de Toledo." The J. Paul Getty Museum Journal 21 (1993): 21-23.

Wikidata ID

Q64608128

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