Miniature from a Devotional or Liturgical Manuscript

Girolamo da Cremona

about 1460–1470

Tempera colors and gold paint, Tempera Colors, Gold paint

J. Paul Getty Museum

A group of figures in a room with two windows and a dove descending from above. The figures are gathered around a central woman with her hands clasped in prayer. Illustrated by Italian Illuminator Girolamo da Cremona (active 1450-1485), this miniature is possibly a cutting from a devotional or liturgical manuscript sometime during the late 15th century. The miniature employs a variety of color systems meant to create the illusion of three-dimensional figures, objects, and drapery. Although the composition at first glance seems strictly symmetrical, the artist has varied the scene by introducing asymmetrical details, such as... This is a deliberate action on the part of the artist, as it gives a sense of illusion to the negative space that surrounds the figure of Mary, making her appear that