Prayer Book of Lorenzo de' Medici

Lorenzo de’ Medici (1449-1492) earned the epithet of “the Magnificent” thanks to his generous patronage of the fine arts. Consistent with his love of painting, he gifted a splendid prayer book to his older daughter Lucrezia (1470-1553) on the occasion of her wedding to the Florentine banker Jacopo Salviati (1461-1533). The manuscript originated in 1485 with ten full-page miniatures, twelve smaller calendar medallions and seven historiated initials on a total of 556 pages. The party responsible for the detailed paintings was the Medici family’s most favored miniaturist, Francesco Rosselli (1455-1513), the younger brother of the famous Florentine painter Cosimo Rosselli (1439-1507). Antonio Sinibaldi (1443-before 1528) contributed to the work as a scribe. He worked primarily for wealthy collectors and occasionally in permanent positions, such as for King Ferrante of Naples (1424-1494).

Gleaming Binding

The beholder is made aware of the preciousness of the manuscript even before they lay eyes on its luminous miniatures. A radiant gilded silver binding houses the prayer book. The silver plates of both covers are interlinked by five hinges decorated with vegetal décor. The richly ornamented front cover displays a diamond-shaped enamel work in the center field with the Archangel Gabriel, while Mary can be seen on the back cover. The binding alone demonstrates that this is an exceptionally precious manuscript.

A Recognizable Pattern of Décor

The painter Francesco Rosselli showed particular discipline in designing individual pages with an architectural pattern of décor. While large primary scenes such as the Annunciation or the Crucifixion are encompassed in arched frames, appearing underneath them are smaller pictures in quatrefoil or multi-foil frames. The entire composition was then encompassed by repetitively detailed decorative motifs such as foliage, diamond rings, or winged cherubs. Thus, the impression is given that every page is decorated down to the smallest detail, making it possible to continuously discover something new.