Model Book of Giovannino de Grassi

Model books were popular in the Late Middle Ages for assistance in painting, sculpting, and other artistic endeavors. In them, drawings and paintings from various objects and creatures are to be found, the most famous model book was produced by the university educated Giovannino de Grassi. The architect of the cathedral in Milan, who was also active as a painter and sculptor, produced this pioneering work for artists at the close of the Middle Ages. In 77 drawings he depicted exotic animals such as gazelles, lions, and leopards, in typical activities and painted individual persons in their typical posture or groups of people performing various activities and so created realistic models for his contemporaries and successors.

The Genre of Model Books

Many artists in the late Gothic and early Renaissance did not have the financial means to travel and learn about foreign cultures. In order to make it possible for artists to reproduce authentic buildings, exotic animals, and other cultural elements, so-called model books were created. Not only people and animals were depicted, but also artistic literary elements for decoration such as calligraphic initials. These templates would not be missing from any artist’s studio.

De Grassi, a True Master of the Renaissance

Giovannino de Grassi is the architect of the famous cathedral in Milan. He is not only known for his activity as an architect, but also his graphic and sculptural works have established his place in the late Gothic art world. He partook in regular correspondence with other architects and artists of his time, among them were famous masters such as Ulrich Parler and Heinrich von Einsingen. Numerous European artists influenced the Italian, who opened himself up to all the stylistic trends of his time. At the time that he completed his model book at the end of the 14th century, de Grassi found himself at the court of the Visconti in Milan.

Famous and Coveted Templates

With his model book, the versatile wunderkind de Grassi created an incomparable masterwork and an immaculate template for generations of artists. Every page of the book can be considered as an artwork in its own right. He drew various life forms such as lions, sheep, porcupines, ostriches, or apes, he painted female figures playing the lyre or groups of people reading together. His creativity and realistic attention to detail knew no bounds. The work was especially famous for its 24 letters of the alphabet. This was contained in five pages of the book, which showed the alphabet in a totally new way. The perfectly executed gothic letters are formed from figures of people and animals. He employed musical and angelic entities, such as realistic predators like lions or leopards. This depiction of the alphabet is unique in the history of book painting and is a part of the cult of the model book.