Item Info
Language: Latin
Folio Number: front 45:14
Source: Rare Book Department
Notes: Initial A with Christ adored by two saints
Notes: This cutting has been dated to ca. 1260-1270.
Notes: This initial begins the first response of the first nocturn of Matins for the first Sunday in Advent, "Aspiciens a longe..." (Long had I been watching).
This cutting and other cuttings in the Free Library's collection from the same antiphonary (Lewis E M 26:20-29) are some of the only examples of medieval Italian manuscript illumination in the Free Library's collection. Nearly thirty years after the execution of these initials, the character of Italian illumination and painting would fundamentally change under the leadership of artists such as the Florentine painter Giotto. The abstract tendencies in medieval art seen in these cuttings would eventually give way to a more naturalistic approach to representation, marking the beginning of the Renaissance in the history of art.
Sirsi Catalog Key:
1602035
Country:
Country:Italy
City/Town/Township:Padua or Venice
Creation Year (Single Year or Range Begin):
1275
Image Dimensions Width:
128 mm
ShelfMark:
Lewis E M 45:14
front 45:14
reverse 45:14