Who painted pagina di antifonario con iniziale H e la natività?

pagina di antifonario con iniziale H e la natività was painted by Benvenuto di Giovanni in 1486.

Where can I see pagina di antifonario con iniziale H e la natività?

pagina di antifonario con iniziale H e la natività is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is pagina di antifonario con iniziale H e la natività?

pagina di antifonario con iniziale H e la natività is associated with Sienese School.

Can I buy a print of pagina di antifonario con iniziale H e la natività?

Museum-quality prints of pagina di antifonario con iniziale H e la natività are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

pagina di antifonario con iniziale H e la natività

Benvenuto di Giovanni , 1486

pagina di antifonario con iniziale H e la natività is an unspecified painting by the Sienese School artist Benvenuto di Giovanni. It dates from 1486 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Created circa 1486, this illuminated page forms part of an antiphonary and features a decorative initial “H” that encloses a Nativity scene.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The leaf depicts the Nativity within an illuminated initial H, combining the liturgical function of an antiphonary with a narrative scene.

The leaf depicts the Nativity within an illuminated initial H, combining the liturgical function of an antiphonary with a narrative scene. The composition centers on the Christ Child, swaddled and laid in a manger, flanked by the Virgin and Joseph. Angels hover above, and the ox and ass are shown at the manger’s side, following traditional iconography of Christ’s birth.

The historiated initial frames the scene, linking the sacred image to the letter marking the chant text it introduces.

Technique & Style

The work is a tempera painting on parchment, created by Benvenuto di Giovanni around 1480. It features a historiated initial 'H' depicting the Nativity, combining gold leaf accents with delicate linear detailing characteristic of late 15th-century manuscript illumination. The piece demonstrates refined composition and vibrant coloration typical of Tuscan painting, reflecting the artist's mastery of devotional imagery within the manuscript tradition.

History & Provenance

The illuminated choir page created for the choir of San Martino in Florence was produced by Benvenuto di Giovanni around 1480. Executed in tempera on parchment, the work features a large initial H framing the Nativity scene. It entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1973 as part of the Kohler bequest, where it remains on view in the Italian Renaissance galleries.

Benvenuto di Giovanni created a painting titled pagina di antifonario con iniziale H e la natività, which is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio. The work is cataloged under the museum's inventory as accession number 1978.176. It was part of the exhibition "Italian Paintings of the 14th and 15th Centuries," shown at the Cleveland Museum of Art from February 15 to April 10, 1978.

Overview

Created circa 1486, this illuminated page forms part of an antiphonary and features a decorative initial “H” that encloses a Nativity scene. Executed by Giovanni Benvenuto, an Italian painter active in Siena from the mid‑15th to early‑16th century, the work exemplifies the Sienese manuscript tradition and now belongs to the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection.