Leaf from a Gradual: Initial (D) with John the Baptist (late 1450s): Art, History and Details

Leaf from a Gradual: Initial (D) with John the Baptist (late 1450s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Francesco d'Antonio del Cherico (Italian, 1433–1484).

The work and its context

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

This leaf comes from a gradual, a choral book containing the mass chants. It features a large decorated letter D introducing the Mass: Deus, in nomine tuo salvum me fac (Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me in thy strength) from Psalm 53. Francesco d’Antonio del Cherico began his career as a goldsmith in Florence. He eventually changed his occupation to manuscript illuminator where he achieved much success. He was a pupil of Fra Angelico and became famous for being Lorenzo de’ Medici’s favorite illuminator. He gained a reputation for his well-executed illustrations in varying types of books ranging from small books of hours to large choir books. His illustrations often featured intricate floral arrangements, as seen here.

Object facts

• Title: Leaf from a Gradual: Initial (D) with John the Baptist
• Date: late 1450s
• Creator attribution: Francesco d'Antonio del Cherico (Italian, 1433–1484)
• Culture: Italy, Florence
• Type: Manuscript
• Technique: Ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
• Dimensions: Sheet: 55.1 x 36.6 cm (21 11/16 x 14 7/16 in.)
• Collection: MED - Manuscript Illuminations
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1950.1

A detail from the museum

It was common practice in the Renaissance for illuminators to buy their pigments from apothecaries.

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Milliken, William M. "Miniatures by Lorenzo Monaco and Francesco Del Cherico." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 37, no. 3 (1950)

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.