Getty Museum

Initial E: David Lifting up His Soul to God

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

More on Getty ULAN

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

David kneels in a mountainous landscape set against a darkened sky. He holds his harp in his left hand while raising the small white figure of his soul up to God, at upper left, with his right hand. Winged children, known as *putti*, climb through the colorful curling vines that fill the margins of the page. This impressive leaf is the frontispiece of the first volume of an antiphonal belonging to a famous series of at least fifteen choir books commissioned by Cardinal Bessarion (about 1399/1408-1472), who was a papal representative in Bologna between 1450 and 1455, and whose coat of arms appears in the lower margin of this page.

View at Getty Museum ↗

The authoritative record is held by Getty Museum. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.

Get printable QR codes

Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.

Open this page

See at Getty Museum

Related across collections

Semantically similar works from Getty Museum and other institutions.