Leaf from a Gradual: Historiated Initial R: The Resurrection (recto) and Initial D (verso)
Unknown Artist
mid-1300s
Medium
ink, tempera, and gold on parchment
Dimensions
55 × 40 cm
Classification
Manuscript
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1954.145
About this artwork
This leaf was taken from a gradual, a large volume containing songs for the mass. This single leaf shows the introductory passage for Easter Sunday. The initial R is filled with the representation of the resurrection of Christ. The depiction of Saint Francis of Assisi in the floral decoration points to an origin from a Franciscan monastery. Due to the great plague, the mendicant orders to which the Franciscans belonged were the recipients of civil charitable donations. Naples, where the leaf is ...