Skip to main content

Historiated initial from a Gradual: Marlay cutting It. 18

An image of Cutting (manuscript)

Terms of use

These images are provided for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons License (BY-NC-ND). To license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who will discuss fees, terms and waivers.

Download this image

Creative commons explained - what it means, how you can use our's and other people's content.

Alternative views

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Historiated initial from a Gradual

Maker(s)

Artist: Master of the Murano Gradual

Entities

Categories

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, 305 x 320 mm, four lines of fragmentary text and four fragmentary four-line musical staves ruled in red on reverse.

CONTENTS: The initial introduced the Introit of the Mass for the Assumption of the Virgin, Gaudeamus [omnes in domino diem festem celebrantes sub], which continues on the reverse, honore marie virginis. De cuius assumptione gaudent angeli et collaudant filium dei.

DECORATION: Historiated initial in blue and graded pink foliate forms on a shaped ground of solid gold with painted foliate forms: [G] Dormition of the Virgin, with Saints Peter, Paul and John behind her, and the lame and blind in the foreground.

ORNAMENTATION: The text adjacent to the initial is written in burnished gold on solid blue ground with white highlighting, the music in burnished gold on white staves on painted ground.

Notes

History note: William Young Ottley (1771-1836); his sale, Sotheby’s, London, 11 May 1838, lot 191; Rev. John Fuller; Thomas Miller Whitehead, 1853; note ‘1887. No. 2396’ on earlier cardboard mount

Place(s) associated

  • Venice

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

15th Century, Early#
Production date: circa AD 1420

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

Illumination

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: Marlay cutting It. 18
Primary reference Number: 176542
Project ID: 1369
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Friday 14 July 2023 Last processed: Thursday 7 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

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

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Historiated initial from a Gradual" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/176542 Accessed: 2024-12-27 04:06:54

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/176542 |title=Historiated initial from a Gradual |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-27 04:06:54|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-176542

Bootstrap HTML code for reuse

To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:

<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/msspb/msspb3/Marlay_20Cutting_20It__2018.jpg"
        alt="Historiated initial from a Gradual"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Historiated initial from a Gradual</figcaption>
    </figure>
</div>
    

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...