St. Apollonia with her tongs for pulling teeth, in a historiated initial on a cutting most probably from an illuminated manuscript choirbook, on vellum [Italy (perhaps Verona), c. 1490s]
Square cutting with an initial, trimmed to edges, in blue, green and red acanthus leaf sprays, touched with white brushstrokes and with internal gold frame and on burnished gold ground,
the figure of the saint with tightly undulating hair and before a wide blue sky-like ground, reverse apparently blank, some small chips and scuffs, cracklure to gold overall, but overall in presentable condition, 155 by 180mm.; pasted to red velvet mount, in old wooden frame
Painted by a follower of Girolamo dai Libri (1475-c.1555), who along with his father, Francesco dai Libri (c. 1452-1505), and grandfather, Stefano dai Libri (1433-1475), dominated illumination in Verona for nearly a century. The slight tilting down of the saint’s head here and soft modelling of the structures of the face and especially the neck follow the style of the early years of dai Libri’s career, suggesting a date in the 1490s.
We thank Dr. Timothy Bolton for assistance in cataloguing this lot.
