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Historiated initial from a Gradual
Artist:
Gherarducci, Don Silvestro dei
Artist:
Canzoni, Maestro delle
Artist:
Rosselli, Niccolo
Artist:
Francesco di Ser Cenni, Cenni di
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, initial aprox. 300 x 270 mm, mounted on cardboard.
CONTENTS: The initial S, pasted on cardboard, would have opened the Introit to the Mass for the Purification of the Virgin (2 February), Suscepimus, Deus, misericordiam in medio templi tui.
DECORATION: Historiated initial in graded blue, orange, pale yellow and liquid gold with acanthus extensions on a ground of gold leaf: [S] Presentation in the Temple with Simeon and Anna holding the infant Christ on the right, Mary and Joseph on the left, and a mitred priest behind holding the knife for Christ’s circumcision.
History note: The initial belonged to a choir book made for the Camaldolese Monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence: Corale 2 (Gradual), fol. 42; excised during the Napoleonic campaigns, 1797-1809; thereafter: possibly the property of William Young Ottley (1771-1836) (Freuler 1997, 353); Francis Douce (1757-1834), a note attached to the back of the mount, attributing the illumination to Don Silvestro, is believed to be in his hand; Sir Samuel Meyrick (1783-1848); acquired before 1886 by Charles Brinsley Marlay (1831-1912); his bequest, 1912.
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1912) by Marlay, Charles Brinsley
14th Century, second half
Circa
1370
CE
-
Circa
1375
CE
Support composed of parchment
Accession number: Marlay cutting It. 13A
Primary reference Number: 166628
Project ID: 1365
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Manuscripts and Printed Books
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
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IIIF Manifest
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Historiated initial from a Gradual" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/166628 Accessed: 2025-07-16 06:47:08
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/166628
|title=Historiated initial from a Gradual
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-07-16 06:47:08|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-166628
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<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/msspb/msspb3/Marlay_20Cutting_20It__2013a.jpg"
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<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Historiated initial from a Gradual</figcaption>
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