How the Context Can Change the Work of Art. Reflections on the Illuminated Choir Books of S. Giorgio Maggiore in Venice

The Venetian monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore houses some choir books illuminated by an exceptional team of late Gothic masters, dating from the seventh to eighth decade of the 15th century. These volumes were deeply modified over time: in particular, historical sources reveal that a decisive intervention was made in the 17th century to update the choir books to the new Breviary. The result of this work was a profound alteration of the volumes, from which numerous pages were removed, to be relocated in new positions. If the principle with which 15th- century illustrations were made was to stimulate in the monks the «continuous meditation» promoted by Ludovico Barbo, the new arrangement of the illuminated pages suggests that the restorer followed a different criterion, most likely thematic. This paper focuses on these two moments in the life of the choir books, reflecting on how historical contexts, the use of volumes and changes in liturgy shaped one of the finest sets of choir books of the 15th century.