Chapter 23

ITALIAN ILLUMINATION

Barbaric character of Italian illumination in the twelfth century--Ravenna and Pavia the earliest centres of revival--The "Exultet"--La Cava and Monte Cassino--The writers of early Italian MSS. not Italians--In the early fourteenth century the art is French--Peculiarities of Italian foliages--The Law Books--Poems of Convenevole da Prato, the tutor of Petrarch--Celebrated patrons--The Laon Boethius--The Decretals, Institutes, etc.--"Decretum Gratiani," other collections and MSS.--Statuts du Saint Esprit--Method of painting--Don Silvestro--The Rationale of Durandus--Nicolas of Bologna, etc.--Triumphs of Petrarch--Books at San Marco, Florence--The Brera Graduals at Milan--Other Italian collections--Examples of different localities in the British Museum--Places where the best work was done--Fine Neapolitan MS. in the British Museum--The white-vine style superseded by the classical renaissance.