Four Saints in a Historiated Initial "P" from a Choirbook or Antiphonal
1460/80
Medium
Manuscript cutting in tempera and gold leaf, with gold paint, with rounded gothica textualis inscriptions in black ink, ruled in red, on parchment
Dimensions
Buckled: 15.3 × 15.1 cm (6 1/16 × 6 in.)
Classification
tempera
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
72358
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Late medieval music manuscripts for celebrating the Christian Mass frequently included large historiated (or illustrated) initials, like this letter “P” that contains an image of four saints. It was a common practice to cut out these elaborate initials, particularly in the 19th century, to display individually or use to make a collage. Scholars today are actively trying to reconstruct these cut-up manuscripts; this cutting, for instance, comes from the same manuscript as four other illuminated ...