Follower of the Master of Anna Sforza (Protasio Crivelli) - photo 1
Follower of the Master of Anna Sforza (Protasio Crivelli) - photo 2
Follower of the Master of Anna Sforza (Protasio Crivelli) - photo 3

Follower of the Master of Anna Sforza (Protasio Crivelli)

Sold
£ 8 190
Auction dateClassic
12.07.2023 00:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 993278
Lot 23 | Follower of the Master of Anna Sforza (Protasio Crivelli)
Follower of the Master of Anna Sforza (Protasio Crivelli)

God the Father above a temple, historiated initial cut from an illuminated manuscript choirbook on vellum [Lombardy (Milan), late 15th century]

A bright and attractive Renaissance cutting, with very unusual iconography, in fine condition



145 x 147mm, a cutting, the initial ‘T’ containing a very unusual image of a Renaissance church façade incorporating coloured marbles and cameo-like profile and frontal heads, with a triple portal, their porches each with a ceiling of gold stars on a deep blue ground, God apparently enthroned on the roof with a gold cupola and heavenly clouds behind him, holding an orb and blessing, all set within a landscape with a river, probably from the antiphon ‘Terribilis est locus iste’ for the Dedication of a Church, the reverse with a fragment of text probably from the same feast: ‘Susce[pimus deus misericordiam tuam in medio templi tui …]’, and with a modern Amsterdam shipper’s label (the image closely cropped with the loss of part of the initial, minor losses of the surrounding gold). Mounted and framed.



Illumination:

The style is related to that of the Master of Anna Sforza, recently identified as a documented scribe and artist, Protasio Crivelli, who was active in Milan in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Although apparently not by his hand, this cutting shares many of his characteristic features, including faces with heavy eyelids, a taste for architectural decoration and for pearls in the ornament, and a palette with deep, bright, colours including emerald green and a deep blue. The various artists who worked in this style are still being worked out: see Beatrice Alai, Le miniature italiane del Kupferstichkabinett di Berlino (Florence, 2019), cat. 84 (col. ills.); Pier Luigi Mulas in Dizionario biografico dei miniatori italiani: secoli IX–XVI, ed. by Milvia Bollati (Milan, 2004), pp. 187–188; Cristina Quattrini, ‘Miniatori a Milano al passaggio fra Quattrocento e Cinquecento: il “Maestro di Anna Sforza”’, Libri & documenti, XXIV (1998), pp. 1–13; and Mirella Levi d’Ancona, The Wildenstein collection of illuminations: The Lombard school (Florence, 1970), pp. 107–111, col. pls. XXV–XXVII).

Artist:Master of Anna Sforza
Place of origin:Italy, Europe
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
12.07.2023 – 12.07.2023
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.