Illumination Excised from a Choir Book: Two Female Angels

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

This miniature was taken from a choir book and shows two female figures. Their golden halos mark them as saints and the lily scepters as virgins. It is attributed to the Sienese painter Niccolò di ser Sozzo. Although more than half of the population of Siena is said to have died of the plague, the city’s finances recovered quickly. In the arts, however, there is a continuation of the traditions of the first half of the century, of which Niccolò is a characteristic representative. It is therefore often difficult to decide whether a work was created before or after the plague wave. Niccolo di ser Sozzo Tegliacci was one of the leading panel painters and miniaturists working in Siena. His father is believed to have also been an illuminator although he was a little known.