Initial S from a Gradual: St. Augustine
Medium
ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
Dimensions
16.8 × 14.9 cm
Classification
Manuscript
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1954.257
Tags
About this artwork
This initial belongs to a large group of excised miniatures of saints once part of a gradual used in a Venetian Camaldolese monastery, probably San Michele on the island of Murano. The artist has shown a fondness here for unusual decorative features such as the band of pseudo-Arabic writing along the sleeve and the feathery-white scrolling leaves resembling shells.
About the Artist
Master of the Murano Gradual (Italian)
The designation "Italian" in art collections typically refers to an anonymous artist or a loose attribution to works from Italian schools, rather than a specific individual. With 173 known artworks in the museum's collection, this entry likely encompasses paintings by unidentified masters active across various periods, such as the Renaissance, Baroque, or later eras. Early life and personal detail...