Search	The Work of Impruneta, Il Tesoro di Santa Maria :: Cushion Tuscan Manifacture, 15th century, before 1477 :: The discovery of the sacred image of the Virgin Florentine Sculptor, Mid 15th century :: Altar trappings composed of four candleholders and a cross bearer with a cross Florentine Workshop, Before 1632 :: Antiphonary (previously called Vesperal 6) Antonio di Girolamo di Ugolino, 1538-1539. :: 1. Gradual (previously called Antiphonary I) Lippo di Benivieni, 1315-1320 ca. :: Basin and jug Tuscan Manifacture, Datable as 1711 :: Pyx Tuscan Manifacture, 16th century :: Processional cross Lorenzo Ghiberti, 1425 ca. :: Reliquary of St. Sixtus Simone Pignoni, Dated 1614 :: Pyx Cosimo Merlini, 1637 :: Pair of votive vases Tuscan Manifacture, Second quarter of the 17th century, datable as 1633 :: Pax Antonio di Salvi, 1515 :: Little cape - image cover in canvas Tuscan Manifacture, 1568 :: Chasuble Tuscan Manifacture, Early 18th century :: Series of two tunicles Tuscan Manifacture, 17th century	.:. works .:. artists Antiphonary (previously called Vesperal 6) 1538-1539. Antonio di Girolamo di Ugolino Impruneta, The Treasure of Santa Maria Hand written and illuminated parchment; 53 x 32cm. Source: Basilica of Santa Maria all'Impruneta The Antiphonary, composed of 221 pages in parchment, contains the Sunday and weekday antiphons from the first Saturday in September until Advent, while the entire Office for some festivities has been written in the second part. The codex has an ancient binding formed of flat leather-covered pieces of wood with impressed ornamental motifs, brass studs, clasps and metal stamping along the spine. The internal decoration of the manuscript includes 14 illuminated capital letters, 6 of which are illustrated with stories and 8 simply decorated.The incipit gives information on the paternity of the written part of the text, the purchaser and the antiphonary's date of execution; in other words it was compiled by a calligrapher called "Victore" in 1538 and commissioned by Andrea Buondelmonti, formerly the parish priest of Impruneta, who was nominated Archbishop of Florence in 1532. These dates are confirmed in documents, which also provide the name of the illustrator, the Florentine miniaturist Antonio di Girolamo di Ugolino, author of some of the antiphonaries for the Cathedral of Florence and of two other codexes belonging to the Basilica of Impruneta. Antonio di Girolamo's style is characterised by the sober and elegant way he decorated the pages and, in particular, the stiffly inserted capital letters, almost always square on a gold field and enriched with brightly coloured plant motifs. The ornamental layout of the letter never changes: its corpus is watermarked in gold and decorated with curling leaves in contrasting colours. A delicate frieze, scattered with illuminated leaves, flowers and gilded buds, as well as grotesque motifs, such as masks, horns of plenty and candelabra, usually decorates the margin beside the capital letter. The figurative scene is tidily fitted inside the limits created by the letter.Although the ornamental design and the style of the miniaturist are very similar in all three of the codexes in the series preserved in the museum, the figurative scenes in this antiphonary reveal a greater narrative vivacity and care for the setting, as well as a constant reference to the prototypes of Renaissance painting. One example is the letter containing the scene of the Birth of the Virgin (c. 93r), where we can find echoes of the interiors painted by Ghirlandaio, translated into a descriptive and popular language. The setting is the interior of a bedroom, with a terracotta tiled floor and a window giving onto a country road; a maidservant stands beside the large bed, pouring water into the bowl placed on the knees of St. Anne, resting after having given birth to the baby girl who is being cared for by the women seated in the foreground. back print
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