
This illuminated frontispiece features Pope Pius II, who reigned from 1458 to 1464, above a view of his hometown of Siena and eight Sienese coats of arms. Pius II had an unusual past for a pope, having served as the imperial poet laureate in 1442 at Frederick III’s court. While poet laureate, he wrote what would become a best seller of its time, The Tale of the Two Lovers, a courtly romance. This manuscript cutting is probably a 19th-century copy that was produced for an art market infatuated with the Italian Renaissance.

E-29: English Roman Catholic Church in the Gothic Style, 1275-1300
Designed by Narcissa Niblack Thorne American, 1882-1966

Saint Benedict Presenting his Rule to Benedictine and Cistercian Monks in a Historiated Initial "O" from a Choirbook
Italian (Siena) Martino di Bartolomeo (Italian, 1389-1434/5) 1394/95

Decorated Initial "G" in Pink with Curling Leaves from a Manuscript
European