The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 18, 2024
Leaf from a Gradual: Initial (D) with John the Baptist
Late 1450s
attributed to Francesco d'Antonio del Cherico
(Italian, 1433–1484)
Sheet: 55.1 x 36.6 cm (21 11/16 x 14 7/16 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
It was common practice in the Renaissance for illuminators to buy their pigments from apothecaries.Description
This leaf comes from a gradual, a choral book containing the mass chants. It features a largedecorated letter D introducing the Mass: Deus, in nomine tuo salvum me fac (Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me in thy strength) from Psalm 53. Francesco d’Antonio del Cherico began his career as a goldsmith in Florence. He eventually changed his occupation to manuscript illuminator where he achieved much success. He was a pupil of Fra Angelico and became famous for being Lorenzo de’ Medici’s favorite illuminator. He gained a reputation for his well-executed illustrations in varying types of books ranging from small books of hours to large choir books. His illustrations often featured intricate floral arrangements, as seen here.
- -1950Vladimir G. Simkhovitch, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art1950-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Oh
- Milliken, William M. "Miniatures by Lorenzo Monaco and Francesco Del Cherico." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 37, no. 3 (1950) Illustrated on p. 47
- Liturgical Textiles and Manuscripts from Medieval and Early Renaissance Italy (Manuscript and Textile Rotation) - Gallery 115. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 5, 2018-December 2, 2019).Exhibition of Sienese and Florentine Manuscripts. Wildenstein & Co., London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (organizer) (February 24-April 10, 1965).
- {{cite web|title=Leaf from a Gradual: Initial (D) with John the Baptist|url=false|author=Francesco d'Antonio del Cherico|year=Late 1450s|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1950.1