The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Historiated Initial (E) Excised from the Colonna Missal: The Martyrdom of St. Stephen
c. 1532
Location: not on view
Description
This initial was once part of a manuscript missal (a service book for the altar) made for Cardinal Pompeo Colonna, probably in the year of his death. The letter E is decorated with gold arabesque and rope-work patterns evocative of Renaissance goldsmithing. At the center is a small pen-and-ink drawing representing the death of Saint Stephen, the Christian Church's first martyr. The text introduced by this initial comes from the Offertory of the Mass for the Feast of Saint Stephen (December 26), and would have read, Elegerunt Apostoli Stephanum (And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith, and the Holy Ghost). The illuminator, Apollonio de' Bonfratelli, was active at the papal court where he decorated manuscripts for Popes Pius IV and V as well as other members of the Church hieiarchy.- (Sotheby's, London, sale 10/10/1967, lot 17)R. T. Milne(Sotheby's, London, sale 10/10/1967, lot 17); R.T. Milne
- The Decorated Letter and the Illuminator's Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 25-December 19, 1993).The Year in Review for 1985. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 12-April 20, 1986).
- {{cite web|title=Historiated Initial (E) Excised from the Colonna Missal: The Martyrdom of St. Stephen|url=false|author=Apollonio de' Bonfratelli|year=c. 1532|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1985.140