The Caporali Missal: A Masterpiece of Renaissance Illumination

This exhibition revolves around a sumptuous and important Renaissance manuscript—an illuminated missal, the service book for the priest at the altar—made for the Franciscan community in the hillside town of Montone, near Perugia, in 1469. Acquired by the museum in 2006, the missal showcases the work of two artist brothers, Bartolomeo and Giapeco Caporali, who were active in Perugia during the second half of the 15th century and responsible for the missal's decoration. This small focus exhibition celebrates this important acquisition and presents it to the museum's audience for the first time. By bringing together additional panel paintings and manuscripts by these artists, the exhibition documents their careers and explores their relationship with the Franciscans of Montone. Liturgical objects such as vestments, a chalice, and a processional cross will place the manuscript in liturgical, cultural, and art historical contexts. Many of these works, lent by museums and churches in Umbria, are displayed in the U.S. for the first time.