Niccolò di Giacomo da Bologna (c. 1325 – c. 1403), usually known as Niccolò da Bologna, was one of the most important and prolific

manuscript illuminators A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...

in 14th-century

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different na ...

. He was active from about 1349 to 1403. He is known for his expressive figures and crowded, action-filled narrative scenes. The first signed works by Niccolò are all copies of Gratian's ‘

Decretal Decretals ( la, litterae decretales) are letters of a pope that formulate decisions in ecclesiastical law of the Catholic Church.McGurk. ''Dictionary of Medieval Terms''. p. 10 They are generally given in answer to consultations but are sometimes ...

s’, one of the standard works of

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is t ...

. He and his workshop later illuminated a variety of other manuscripts, including university texts, choir books and other liturgical texts, private devotional books, and even works of secular poetry and drama. Niccolò also illuminated a number of specialty books made for various corporate groups in the city, such as statute books and guild registers. He was a financially successful artist who was appointed illuminator to the city of

in the 1380s and was an active member of city government. He was the uncle of the artist Jacopo di Paolo (active 1371-1426).

References

*Boskovits, Miklós, Richard Offner and Klara Steinwig, ''The Fourteenth Century: the Painters of the Miniaturist Tendency'', Giunti, Florence, 1984.

External links

ArtCyclopedia

Gallery

File:Niccolò da Bologna - Initial E with marterdom of St. Stephen, 1394-1404, tempera, gold and ink on parchmrnt, Metripolitan Museum of Art.jpg, Niccolò da Bologna's

tempera Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. Tempera also refers to the paintings done ...

, gold and ink on

parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves, and goats. It has been used as a writing medium for over two millennia. Vellum is a finer quality parchment made from the skins ...

, 1494-1502,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

File:Niccolò da Bologna - Birth of John the Baptist, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, miniature on vellum, late 14th cent.jpg, ''The Birth of John the Baptist'', miniature on

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other anim ...

by Niccolò da Bologna,

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of ch ...

, Washington DC, late 14th century File:Niccolò da Bologna - The Marriage, 1350s, miniature on vellum, National gallery of Art, Washington DC.jpg, ''The Marriage'', 1350s, miniature on

by Niccolò da Bologna, 1350s,

, Washington DC {{DEFAULTSORT:Bologna, Niccolo da 1325 births 14th-century births 15th-century deaths Trecento painters 14th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 15th-century Italian painters Painters from Bologna Manuscript illuminators