The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Leaf from a Book of Hours: Annunciation, Nativity and Two Prophets

c. 1485

attributed to Master of Riccardiana 231

(Italian)
Italy, Florence, 15th century
tempera and gold on parchment
Sheet: 15.1 x 9.2 cm (5 15/16 x 3 5/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1953.280
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Peacocks were often used in medieval Christian art as a symbol of the resurrection and eternal life.

Description

This leaf came from a book of hours, a devotional book popular in the Middle Ages. They contained prayers that a devoted individual would use throughout the day. It has been estimated that 1 in 15 households owned a book of hours, although this luxurious example could only have belonged to an aristocratic household.
  • -1953
    Vittorio Forti, Rome, Italy, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1953-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 81 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. 81 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. 93 archive.org
    Regnicoli, Laura. Il libro d'ore di Maddalena De' Medici. Modena: F.C. Panini, 2011. p. 131, tav.35
    Alexander, J. J. G. The Painted Book in Renaissance Italy: 1450-1600. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016. Mention: p. 291, no. 87
  • Florence and the Arts: Five Centuries of Patronage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 13-September 19, 1971).
  • {{cite web|title=Leaf from a Book of Hours: Annunciation, Nativity and Two Prophets|url=false|author=Master of Riccardiana 231|year=c. 1485|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1953.280