Illumination Excised from a Choir Book: Two Female Angels

Niccolò di Ser Sozzo Tegliaccio, c. 1332

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Artist: Niccolò di Ser Sozzo Tegliaccio (Italian, ?–1363)
Medium: Tempera and gold on parchment
Size: Sheet: 8.2 x 7.3 cm (3 1/4 x 2 7/8 in.)
Culture: Italy, Siena
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

This miniature was taken from a choir book and shows two female figures. Their golden halos mark them as saints and the lily scepters as virgins. It is attributed to the Sienese painter Niccolò di ser Sozzo. Although more than half of the population of Siena is said to have died of the plague, the city’s finances recovered quickly. In the arts, however, there is a continuation of the traditions of the first half of the century, of which Niccolò is a characteristic representative. It is therefore often difficult to decide whether a work was created before or after the plague wave.