Antiphonary: Initial A, Resurrection (c. 1470–80): Art, History and Details

Antiphonary: Initial A, Resurrection (c. 1470–80) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Girolamo da Cremona (Italian).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The initial A with the resurrected Christ, shown here, was painted by an immediate follower of Girolamo da Cremona, who was likely working in Siena using the master's designs. Girolamo was intermittently active until 1474 in Siena, where he decorated choir books for the cathedral in collaboration with other North Italian illuminators. Antiphonaries like this one were usually made in several volumes for use by a clerical congregation. They were applied to the singing of the Daily Office, the cycle of daily devotions throughout the year. The chant introduced by this initial reads: Angelus Domini descendit de celo... (An angel of the Lord descended...). It is the First Matins Response for Easter.

Object facts

• Title: Antiphonary: Initial A, Resurrection
• Date: c. 1470–80
• Creator attribution: Girolamo da Cremona (Italian)
• Culture: Italy, Siena
• Type: Manuscript
• Technique: ink, tempera, and gold on parchment
• Dimensions: Codex: 55.9 x 43.2 x 10.2 cm (22 x 17 x 4 in.)
• Collection: MED - Manuscript Illuminations
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1930.661.97.a

Collection credit

Gift of the Right Reverend William A. Leonard

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.