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Initial T: Isaac and Esau

Creator

Italian Illuminator · 1453–1482

Franco dei Russi first appeared in records in 1455, where he is listed as working on a sumptuous bible for Borso d'Este of Ferrara. The records refer to him as "Franco da Mantova" which may indicate that he was originally from Mantua. His work during his years in Ferrara reveal an interest in large-scale figures with weighty draperies, tempered by a courtliness and attention to detail. In the earl

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Date: about 1455–1461
Medium: Tempera and gold leaf
Culture: Italian
Department: Manuscripts
Institution: Getty Museum

Elderly and bedridden, the Old Testament patriarch Isaac directs his eldest son, Esau, to hunt for venison. Isaac promises to give Esau his final blessing when he returns with the meal, but Esau's brother, Jacob, arrives first, dressed as a hunter, and steals the blessing. The biblical story from the book of Genesis that inspired this scene, and the chant that follows on this page, are read and sung during the Christian penitential season of Lent. The figures' brightly colored garments and the delicate gold highlights on the trees and grass are characteristic of Franco dei Russi's manuscript illumination.

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