A Book of the Passion of Our Lord; Depicted by the Old Masters
London: The Medici Society Limited, 1918. Quarto (10 inches tall), original printed boards, cloth spine lettered in black, mounted color illustration. Slight toning to spine, faint tanning to endpapers, mild abrasions to upper edge of the front board. A near-fine copy. Item #1759
"HOW THE PAINTERS OF THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE CAME TO ILLUSTRATE THE GOSPEL STORY"
Second printing of A Book of the Passion of Our Lord—published by the fine arts publisher, The Medici Society, and illustrated with 12 color printed plates after the Great Masters of the Italian Renaissance, including two by Leonardo da Vinci and five by Fra Angelico.
An Introduction discusses a reluctance among the early Christian painters to attempt to depict the Crucifixion, and so "we must always remember that the great Italian painters of the Renaissance painted the greatest illustrations of that story ever painted, because they painted in simple faith and for love." The text, recounting each of the Stations of the Cross in the New Testament, is paired with a painting. Typical of The Medici Society's facility with fine arts printing, the illustrations were all printed separately and then "tipped" with a bit of glue to a captioned page.
Also includes several pictures painted by the Dominican Fra Angelico, who being "a very saintly man, wished to tell men about Christ and His life, and he painted numberless pictures whose subjects are taken from the Gospels."
1. The Entry into Jerusalem, 2. Christ Washing the Disciples Feet, 3. The Kiss of Judas, 4. Christ before the High Priest, 5. Noli Me Tangere.
Price: $65.00