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Illuminated leaf from a manuscript of Gratian’s Decretum with the Glossa ordinaria of Bartolomeo da Brescia: Marlay cutting It. 6

An image of Leaf (manuscript)

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Illuminated leaf from a manuscript of Gratian’s Decretum with the Glossa ordinaria of Bartolomeo da Brescia

Maker(s)

Artist: The Marlay Gratian atelier
Author: Gratian
Author: Brescia, Bartolomeo da

Entities

Categories

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, columns and lines ruled in plummet, running headers. 459 x 280 mm (recto 388 x 232 mm, verso 410 x 240 mm), two text columns of 56 lines and two gloss columns of 92 lines on recto, two text columns of 58 lines and two gloss columns of 98 lines on reverse (original recto)

CONTENTS: Gratian, Decretum, Part II. Causa XV (A priest is accused of murder by the woman with whom he lived in sin before ordination; Melnikas 1975, II, 487-514).

DECORATION: Marlay cutting It. 6r: One-column miniature: A woman, accompanied by a lawyer, kneels before the Pope; the priest stands behind the Pope on the left; on the right, the priest attacks a man with a sword [Note: the woman was originally included again as a witness to the murder, but was then partially over-painted].

ORNAMENTATION:
Main text: Inhabited initials with half-length portraits, letters painted in graded pink or grey on gold grounds and extending into acanthus sprays to form partial borders: Marlay cutting It. 6r [S, 6 ll.] Tonsured man, [Q, 4 ll.] Head; Marlay cutting It. 6v [Q, 4 ll.] Head in red hood.
Gloss: Foliate initial [3-8 ll.] in pink or grey on blue grounds with small acanthus extensions, for major divisions (corresponding to both large and small inhabited initials in the main text); alternate red and blue initials [2 ll.] embedded within column with blue or red pen flourishing for minor divisions (corresponding to pen-flourished initials in the main text); voided paraph marks with alternate red and blue display capitals [2-gloss ll.] with minor flourishing in blue or red (guide letters in upper margin) for quaestiones; alternate red and blue paraph marks; simple geometric line-fillers in brown ink to even up gloss columns at the end of Causae.

Inter-column decoration: The space between text and gloss columns is decorated with foliate, acanthus and gold disc partial borders and zoomorphic motifs: Marlay cutting It. 6r Crouching man.

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1912) by Marlay, Charles Brinsley

Dating

14th Century, Early
Production date: circa AD 1320

People, subjects and objects depicted

Project

  • Cambridge Illuminated

Materials used in production

Gold

Components of the work

Support composed of parchment

Techniques used in production

Penwork
Illumination

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: Marlay cutting It. 6
Primary reference Number: 178728
Project ID: 1362
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Friday 28 February 2025 Last processed: Thursday 14 August 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Manuscripts and Printed Books

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The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Illuminated leaf from a manuscript of Gratian’s Decretum with the Glossa ordinaria of Bartolomeo da Brescia" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/178728 Accessed: 2025-12-05 10:00:12

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/178728 |title=Illuminated leaf from a manuscript of Gratian’s Decretum with the Glossa ordinaria of Bartolomeo da Brescia |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 10:00:12|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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