The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Pair of Graduals: Initial (M) with St. Andrew (recto) and Mass for the Dead (recto)

Pair of Graduals: Initial (M) with St. Andrew (recto) and Mass for the Dead (recto)

c. 1480
(Italian, 1501)
Italy, Ferrara, 15th century
ink, tempera, and gold on parchment
Sheet: 77 x 52 cm (30 5/16 x 20 1/2 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1927.425
Location: not on view

Description

This leaf was excised from a volume of a large set of choral books known to have been commissioned by Bartolomeo delle Rovere for Ferrara Cathedral. Delle Rovere, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, was the Bishop of Ferrara from 1474 to 1494 and his arms appear in the rondel at the bottom of the page-a shield bearing an oak tree (rovere in Italian) surmounted by a patriarchal cross, the symbol of his rank and authority. Payment records indicate that Argenta worked on the choir books for Ferrara Cathedral from 1478 to 1486. The initial M introduces the chant for the Introit (introduction) to the mass for the Feast of Saint Andrew, celebrated on November 30th. This date also marks the beginning of the Advent season (leading to Christmas) in the liturgical calendar.
  • Giovanni Pini, Florence
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 210 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 83 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 83 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 96 archive.org
    Alexander, J. J. G. The Painted Book in Renaissance Italy: 1450-1600. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016. Mentioned: p. 313, no. 6; Reproduced: p. 89
  • Italian Choral Books of the Renaissance (Manuscript Rotation) - Gallery 115. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 10, 2015-December 12, 2016).
    Main Gallery Rotation (gallery 115): December 7, 2015 -
    Main Gallery Rotation (gallery 117): December 7, 2012 - June 17, 2013.
    Scriptorium: The Illuminated Book in Medieval Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 5, 1991-February 2, 1992).
    Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).
  • {{cite web|title=Pair of Graduals: Initial (M) with St. Andrew (recto) and Mass for the Dead (recto)|url=false|author=Jacopo Filippo d' Argenta|year=c. 1480|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1927.425