Certainly originating from the famous antiphonary (composed of seven volumes) of the monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, the present miniature is not only a new addition to the corpus d'oeuvres by the Master of the Antiphonary Q in San Giorgio Maggiore, but also a new addition to the list of known miniatures from the choirbooks of San Giorgio Maggiore (see Provenance and Parent volumes and sister leaves). This important series of antiphonaries was rebound at an unknown date and some volumes were later dismembered (today, only four out of the seven antiphonaries are known), making the identification of the exact volume from which the present painting of this Noli me Tangere very difficult. Nevertheless, comparisons with other known illuminated leaves or cuttings from the series of choirbooks from the monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore make it almost certain that our miniature was once part of one of these antiphonaries: the style, the size and the handwriting are extremely similar.

The Master of Antiphonary Q in San Giorgio Maggiore was named by Mariani Canova (1973, see Literature) after one of the volumes commissioned by Abbot Cipriano Rinaldini for the monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore, precisely between 1467 and 1470. This illuminator is one of the key figures of Veneto's illuminated production of the third quarter of the 15th century. The artist is mainly active in Verona (where he might come from, as suggested by the attribution to him of a gradual made for the monastery of San Zeno in Verona, Biblioteca Civica, ms. 738) and Venice, where he was one of the leading artists that worked on the series of choirbooks of San Giorgio Maggiore. For this project, the Master of Antiphonary Q in San Giorgio Maggiore was working alongside other illuminators (such as the Master of Antiphonary M), including Belbello da Pavia. The Master of Antiphonary Q and Belbello da Pavia seem to have been in charge of this project, as their hands have been found in many portions of the series of antiphonaries.

The Master of Antiphonary Q in San Giorgio Maggiore is characterized by an expressive and very decorative style, as well as by a sculptural, yet two-dimensional aspect that seems to indicate an anchor to the previous generation of artists. Lively and with landscapes often richly constructed or with animals filling the scenes, the Master of Antiphonary Q must have been aware of the formulas of the great Pisanello. So much so that the miniature depicting the Conversion of Saint Paul, not in the J. Paul Getty Museum (ms. 41) was once attributed to Pisanello, but is now attributed to the Master of Antiphonary Q in San Giorgio Maggiore. In the miniature at hand, the taste for ornamentations is clear: the colors are vivid, the gold is thick, and the intelligent way in which the initial "S" and the stunning border interlace are remarkable. The figures are not less impressive: separated from each other by the curve of the initial "S", Christ and Mary Madgalene are shown in two different spaces within the same initial. They both look at each other and their expressiveness is rendered through the gestures of their arms and hands.

We wish to thank Prof. Gaudenz Freuler for his expertise.

Parent volumes and sister leaves
From the seven antiphonaries of San Giorgio Maggiore, four are known:
Antiphonary M (Venice, San Giorgio Maggiore)
Antiphonary R (Venice, San Giorgio Maggiore)
Antiphonary Q (Venice, San Giorgio Maggiore)
Antiphonary P (New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cloisters collection, 60.165).
Several miniatures from these antiphonaries are known. Amongst them, by the Master of the Antiphonary Q in San Giorgio Maggiore, it is worth mentioning the followings:
Kiss of Judas (Basel, Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books; private collection)
Three Marys at the Tomb (current location unknown, see Treasures of Lost Art, 2003). The initial in this illuminated leaf is of similar size to our initial.