Single Leaf Excised from an Antiphonary: Inital A[spiciens a longe] with Christ in Majesty
Unknown Artist
c. 1330–1350
![Single Leaf Excised from an Antiphonary: Inital A[spiciens a longe] with Christ in Majesty by Unknown Artist](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.artheonmuseum.org%2Fcleveland%2Fthumb%2Fsingle-leaf-excised-from-an-antiphonary-inital-a-spiciens-cleveland-118674.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Medium
ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
Dimensions
sheet: 57.8 × 40.7 cm · framed: 72.5 × 55 × 4 cm
Classification
Manuscript
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1939.677
About this artwork
This massive historiated initial A, among the largest painted by Renaissance illuminators, introduces the matins response for the first Sunday in Advent. For centuries this particular Sunday was known as Aspiciens a longe Sunday, since this is the very first chant of the Christian liturgical year to be sung with a special choir, or Schola Cantorum, on that day. The text as well as the image follow the prophecy of Isaiah who foresaw the birth of Christ: Aspiciens a longe, ecce, video potentiam (L...