Getty Museum
A Man Slaughtering a Pig; Zodiacal Sign of Capricorn
Creator
Master of the Brussels InitialsItalian Illuminator · 1389–1410
All works by this person →The Master of the Brussels Initials was an anonymous illuminator who began his career in the late 1300s in a prominent workshop in Bologna. His name comes from the fifteen historiated initials he painted in a book of hours , now in Brussels, commissioned by Jean, duc de Berry. The Master's career developed parallel to the growth of international workshops active in book production in the late Midd
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- between about 1389 and 1400
- Medium
- Tempera colors, gold leaf, gold paint, and ink
- Culture
- Italian
- Department
- Manuscripts
- Institution
- Getty Museum
The slaughter scene at the bottom of the page, a typical activity for the month of December, is an unpleasant subject, but the illuminator has imbued it with a quiet dignity. A horned animal under the sun, elsewhere on the page, represents the constellation Capricorn. This is the zodiacal sign for the period beginning on December 17. The inscription next to the beast reads: *Sol in capricorno* (the sun in Capricorn). The most important feasts of the month are written in red.
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