Anonymous Umbrian illuminator - photo 1

Anonymous Umbrian illuminator

Estimate value
£ 5 000 – 8 000
Auction dateClassic
10.07.2024 10:30UTC +01:00
To bid, go to the website
CHRISTIE'S
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
ID 1249864
Lot 2 | Anonymous Umbrian illuminator
Anonymous Umbrian illuminator
Annunciation, historiated initial R on a cutting from a Gradual, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Umbria, c.1275]
A rich and creative example of duecento Umbrian illumination.

300 x 125mm. The initial opening the Introit to mass for the Feast of the Annunciation, ‘Rorate celi de super et nubes pluant […]’ (Drop down dew, you heavens, from above), partial text and staves, small guide letter `R’ in the margin (slight creasing across lower part of the Virgin’s robes). Laid down and framed.

The elaborate structure of the letter form, with extensions housing the figure of Gabriel above and below, an ecclesiastic figure, and the complex arrangement of the canopy and throne behind the Virgin in the infill are characteristic features of Umbrian illumination of this period. This complexity of composition and the treatment of hair, delineated with thin lines, and modelling of facial features have general parallels with illuminators close to the Master of Farneto and the Master of St Francis whose fresco cycles are on walls of Lower church in Assisi (see, for example, Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene in an initial M, private collection, Gaudenz Freuler, pp.602-3) or Master of the Assisi Choirbooks, a follower of Cimabue.
Place of origin:Italy, Europe
Auction house category:Books and manuscripts
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
10.07.2024 – 10.07.2024
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.