Display dates: September 4 – January 6, 2008
Location: Medieval Treasury
Through the winter holiday season at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Hebrew prayerbook on generous loan from The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City and a page from a Latin choir book from the Metropolitan's own collection will be displayed side by side for the first time, both painted at the end of the 15th century by the same Florentine artist. The two works are attributed to Mariano del Buono (1433/4-1504), head of one of the most renowned and prolific ateliers in the city. His work for both Christian and Jewish patrons reveals their shared taste for embellishing books with beautiful lettering and evocative imagery and testifies to a dialogue among members of different faiths that was integral to Italian Renaissance culture.
Illuminated Hebrew manuscripts have rarely survived the vicissitudes of history. The Mahzor from The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary is, remarkably, one of seven illustrated Hebrew books attributed to Mariano del Buono. The prayerbook's opening page is elaborately decorated. The initial Hebrew word is in blue paint set against a gold ground. Six biblical figures – including King David
playing a psaltery – appear in the framing border, as do several putti. Near the top of the page, in small letters, are the words: "These are the seventy-two verses that
were compiled by Rabbi Moses, of blessed memory." The image of King David, centrally located on the left-hand border, gazes up initial word of the first verse of Psalms 16: "Mikhtam of David. Protect me, God, for I seek refuge in you." A painted shield at the bottom offers a tantalizing clue to the family for which the manuscript was originally made. Moreover, among the morning prayers, the wording of three blessings establishes unequivocally that this prayerbook was written for a woman, although her name and the specific circumstances that led to the creation of this remarkable book remain a mystery. Intended to be cradled comfortably in the hands of its owner, the Mahzor's small size is appropriate for its use in daily prayer.
By contrast, the Metropolitan's choir book illumination is painted on a parchment page more than two feet in length, befitting its use by an ensemble of monastic choristers. A large initial "R," the first letter of the first word in the mass for the dead, defines a stage-like space for a funeral procession of richly costumed mourners. In the margins the artist has again painted a putto, as well as a diminutive doe in soft brown. Mariano del Buono decorated numerous choir books; this page apparently comes from one created for monks of a rapidly growing order called Vallombrosans, perhaps for use at their Church of the Trinity in Florence.
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