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Historiated initial from an Antiphoner: Marlay cutting It. 63

An image of Cutting (manuscript)

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Historiated initial from an Antiphoner

Entities

Categories

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, 203 x 203 mm, two four-line musical staves ruled in red, two fragmentary lines of text.

CONTENTS: On reverse, part of the antiphon to the first psalm of the first nocturn at Matins for the feast of the Ascension, [...]pum. Seculo. Elevata est ma[gnificentia tua super caelos deus]; the historiated initial P, originally on the verso, would have introduced the responsory for the first lesson at Matins for the feast of the Ascension, Post passionem suam.

DECORATION: Historiated initial formed of classicising foliate forms on a ground of solid gold: [P] The Risen Christ addresses the Apostles before the Ascension (Acts 1.8).

ORNAMENTATION: Gold initial [E] on blue ground with gold flourishing on reverse.

Notes

History note: Sold by a German bookseller, probably in the nineteenth century (note on old mount, lot number 504 written in pencil twice on the reverse)

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

16th Century, Early
Circa 1500 CE - Circa 1525 CE

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. 63
Primary reference Number: 176709
Project ID: 1408
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 26 March 2024 Last processed: Thursday 14 August 2025

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 (2025) "Historiated initial from an Antiphoner" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/176709 Accessed: 2025-12-05 09:47:40

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/176709 |title=Historiated initial from an Antiphoner |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 09:47:40|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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