Artwork

Opening Page of Book IX of Valerius Maximus's Facta et dicta memorabilia

Opening Page of Book IX of Valerius Maximus's Facta et dicta memorabilia is a drawing by the Renaissance artist Unknown. It dates from 1476 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work is a hand‑drawn opening page from Book IX of Valerius Maximus’s *Facta et dicta memorabilia*.

About this work

Overview

The work is a hand‑drawn opening page from Book IX of Valerius Maximus’s *Facta et dicta memorabilia*. Executed as a single sheet, it combines two colored vignettes with a block of antiquated script that is partially illegible. The composition functions as both an illustration and a textual introduction to the manuscript.

Subject & Meaning

The left vignette portrays a gathering of figures within an interior space, suggesting a communal or deliberative scene. The right vignette focuses on an individual clad in a blue garment patterned with white, positioned before an assembled group, perhaps indicating a speaker or authority figure delivering a narrative.

Technique & Style

The drawings employ a Renaissance‑inspired visual language, characterized by careful modeling, precise line work, and a palette of vivid hues. The intricate detailing of clothing, architecture, and gestures reflects the period’s emphasis on realism and decorative richness.

History & Provenance

Created as part of a manuscript copy of Valerius Maximus, the page likely dates from a later Renaissance workshop that reproduced classical texts. Its exact origin and ownership trail remain undocumented, though the style aligns with Northern European manuscript illumination of the 15th–16th centuries.

Context

*Facta et dicta memorabilia* is a collection of moral anecdotes from antiquity, widely used in humanist education. Illustrating such works was common in Renaissance studios, where visual commentary aided the study of classical moral exempla.