Initial S[alve sancta parens] from a Gradual: Madonna and Child
![Initial S[alve sancta parens] from a Gradual: Madonna and Child by Don Silvestro dei Gherarducci (Italian, 1339–1399)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.artheonmuseum.org%2Fcleveland%2Fthumb%2Finitial-s-alve-sancta-parens-from-a-gradual-madonna-and-cleveland-105930.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Medium
ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
Dimensions
16 × 13 cm
Classification
Manuscript
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift from J. H. Wade
Accession Number
1924.1012
Tags
male
About this artwork
Along with several other excised leaves and miniatures that survive in various libraries and museums, this decorated initial S was part of a magnificent gradual produced in the scriptorium of the monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence. The Madonna and Child was a standard image for the Saturday votive Mass to the Virgin. This initial originally introduced the text: Salve sancta parens (“Hail, Holy Mother”).