GRASSI, Giovannino de'
(b. ca. 1350, Milano, d. 1398, Milano)

Model Book

1390s
Manuscript (Ms. VII. 14), 260 x 185 mm
Biblioteca Civica, Bergamo

The model book of Giovannino de' Grassi was produced at the court of the Visconti at the end of the 14th century. Model books were an indispensable resource in every artist's workshops and anyone who had to depict wild beasts such as leopards or lions reached for them in search of prototypes.

This model book also contains a renowned figure alphabet and is an important example of late Gothic Italian art.