Book of Hours, Use of Rome (Hours of Cornelia Rhò)
Title
Book of Hours, Use of Rome (Hours of Cornelia Rhò)
Description
A heraldic escutcheon bearing two coats of arms impaled (indicating a matrimonial union) is present on the first page of the Hours of the Virgin of this Milanese Book of Hours. The right side features a serpent devouring a human baby, the famous vipera or Biscione, employed by the Visconti rulers of Milan and incorporated into the arms of their successors, the Sforza. The left side of the arms is of the De Raude or da Rhò, with the cartwheel being a play on the Latin word “rota” or wheel. It belonged to Cornelia Rhò who married Giovanni II in 1518. Their 1518 wedding accords perfectly with the book’s c. 1520 date on account of the style of its miniatures and inhabited initials, which show the ongoing impact of the art of Leonardo da Vinci and his followers on miniature painting in Lombardy. This Book of Hours was likely a wedding gift to the young bride.
Creator
Illuminators: workshop of Matteo da Milano (inhabited initials) and workshop of Giovanni Giacomo Decio (prefatory miniatures)
Date
ca. 1520
Format
Manuscript on parchment, 133 fols.
Identifier
The Free Library of Philadelphia, Lewis E 206
Coverage
Milan, Italy
Collection:
5. Showcasing Salvation; Devotion by Design
Tags
Citation
Illuminators: workshop of Matteo da Milano (inhabited initials) and workshop of Giovanni Giacomo Decio (prefatory miniatures), “Book of Hours, Use of Rome (Hours of Cornelia Rhò),” Making the Renaissance Manuscript, accessed May 17, 2024, http://makingrenmanuscripts.exhibits.library.upenn.edu/items/show/33.
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