Artwork
Initial L with Old Testament Prophet
Initial L with Old Testament Prophet 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
Created circa 1434, the miniature titled *Initial L with Old Testament Prophet* is a small-scale painting on vellum. It measures only a few centimeters and consists of a decorative capital letter L that frames the portrait of an Old Testament prophet. The work is part of a choirbook commissioned for Seville Cathedral and is now held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
Context
The piece is attributed to the anonymous figure known as the Master of the Cypresses, a painter and illuminator active in Seville between roughly 1420 and 1440. The name derives from the characteristic pointed cypress trees that appear in several of his historiated initials, a motif first identified by art historian Diego Angulo Íñiguez in 1928.
Technique & Style
Executed in tempera on vellum, the miniature combines the solid, volumetric modeling associated with Giotto’s Italian tradition and the detailed surface treatment typical of early Netherlandish painting. The decorative initial is rendered with intricate gilding and fine brushwork, while the prophet’s features display a subtle chiaroscuro that suggests three‑dimensional form.
History & Provenance
After remaining in the cathedral’s library for several centuries, the miniature entered the art market in the 20th century and was acquired by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, where it is displayed as part of the museum’s collection of medieval and early Renaissance manuscripts.
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.
