The refined illumination work of the Libro d’Ore Durazzo is by the painter, Francesco Marmitta (circa 1462/1466 – 1505). Marmitta’s splendidly sumptuous work fully reflects his skills also as a jeweller and engraver, and yet we know very little about him. Documents are to be found which indicate that he belonged to a noble family of Parma , but we have no information on his training as an artist. However, Vasari did express his admiration of Marmitta’s early work. The only painting by Marmitta which can be ascribed to him with certainty is the Pala di San Quintino altar-piece at the Louvre. However, this work belongs to a later period of his career.
Three codices of prime importance
We can with certainty ascribe three remarkable codices to Marmitta. These works fully confirm this artist’s exceptional talent. Alongside the Libro d’Ore Durazzo we find a splendid edition of Petrarch’s Rime sparse (Scattered rhymes) and Trionfi (Triumphs) , produced for the Bolognese patron, Giacomo Giglio (and conserved at the Landesbibliothek in Kassel), and the exceedingly beautiful ‘Messale’ belonging to the museum of the municipality of Turin (Museo Civico di Torino). This missal was produced in Rome for Cardinal Domenico della Rovere. These masterpieces reflect the artist’s sensitivity and delicacy, his marked interest in landscapes , and his taste, as a renowned master goldsmith, for jewellery, medals and cameos , illustrated with extraordinary skill.
Embellishment of the highest order
The splendid illustrations of the Libro d’Ore Durazzo belong to a period of Marmitta’s career in which he is seen to have reached full maturity. His command of the culture of the figurative arts, in all its complexity, is reflected here in a variety of manners. His references to the revived classic tradition indicate a meditative approach. This aspect comes to the fore in his use of purple and of gold lettering, and is also underscored by his use of motifs such as branched candlesticks, trophies, medallions, cameos and bucrania. However, as a painter, the approach adopted for the Calendario (calendar) and Uffici della Vergine (Offices of the Virgin) reveals Marmitta’s awareness of the latest tendencies reflected in the culture of the figurative arts in Emilia , and a special interest in the work of Francia and Amico Aspertini.
