Artwork
Initial I with David
Initial I with David is a drawing by the Renaissance artist Master of the Cypresses. It dates from 1434 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Initial I with David is a miniature drawing on vellum, dated to circa 1434, attributed to the Master of the Cypresses, an artist active in Seville.
Subject & Meaning
The piece features a historiated initial 'I' enclosing a depiction of King David, likely illustrating a biblical or liturgical text, possibly for Seville Cathedral's choirbooks.
Technique & Style
Executed with delicate detail on vellum, the work blends Italian influences, notably from Giotto, with elements of early Netherlandish painting, characterized by the artist's signature green cypress trees in the background.
History & Provenance
Attributed to the Master of the Cypresses by Diego Angulo Íñiguez in 1928, the artist's identity remains anonymous, known only through this distinctive style evident in Seville Cathedral's choirbook illuminations.
Context
Created during a period of artistic exchange, Initial I with David reflects the convergence of Italian and Netherlandish styles in 15th-century Seville, possibly for liturgical use in Seville Cathedral.
Legacy
As one of the Master of the Cypresses' identified works, it contributes to the understanding of 15th-century Iberian manuscript illumination and the dissemination of European artistic trends during this period.
Artist & collection
Artist
The Master of the Cypresses is a notname invented by the art historian Diego Angulo Íñiguez in 1928 for a painter and manuscript illuminator working in Seville around the years 1420–1440.
