Cristoforo de Predis (1440-1486), was an Italian

miniaturist A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually executed in gouache, watercolor, or enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, and were popular among 16th-century eli ...

and

illuminator Illuminator may refer to: * A light source * Limner, an illustrator of manuscripts * Illuminator radar * The Illuminator, a political art collective based in New York City * Illuminator (Marvel Comics), a Christian superhero appearing in America ...

Biography

Cristoforo is part of the de Predis family of artists, where he was one of six brothers including Giovanni. He was born deaf and mute, in the parish of San Vincenzo in Prato to parents Leonardo de Predis and Margaret Giussani. The de Predis family hosted

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially re ...

when he visited

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

for the commission

Virgin of the Rocks The ''Virgin of the Rocks'' ( it, Vergine delle rocce), sometimes the ''Madonna of the Rocks'', is the name of two paintings by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, of the same subject, with a composition which is identical except fo ...

, and Leonardo met Cristoforo on that occasion. Leonardo later wrote about what can be learned from dumb people in his treatise on painting

Codex Urbinas ''A Treatise on Painting'' (''Trattato della pittura'') is a collection of Leonardo da Vinci's writings entered in his notebooks under the general heading "On Painting". The manuscripts were begun in Milan while Leonardo was under the service of ...

. There are four known works of de Predis, based on his signature. Records indicate de Predis was commissioned by the

Borromeo family ), type=Noble family, country=, estates= Rocca d'Angera Palazzo Borromeo, Milan Castel of Peschiera Borromeo Borromean Islands Villa Borromeo, Arcore, titles=* Prince of Angera * Marquess of Romagnano * Count of Arona * Count of Peschiera * Lo ...

to produce the ''Borromeo Book of Hours''.

References

15th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Painters from Milan Manuscript illuminators 1440 births 1486 deaths Artists from Milan Italian deaf people Mute people {{Italy-painter-15thC-stub