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Initial S[alve sancta parens] from a Gradual: Madonna and Child
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Initial S[alve sancta parens] from a Gradual: Madonna and Child

Don Silvestro dei Gherarducci (Italian, 1339–1399), artist · c. 1370–1374 · ink, tempera, and gold on vellum

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

Along with several other excised leaves and miniatures that survive in various libraries and museums, this decorated initial S was part of a magnificent gradual produced in the scriptorium of the monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence. The Madonna and Child was a standard image for the Saturday votive Mass to the Virgin. This initial originally introduced the text: Salve sancta parens (“Hail, Holy Mother”).

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineInitial S[alve sancta parens] from a Gradual: Madonna and Child, c. 1370–1374. Don Silvestro dei Gherarducci (Italian, 1339–1399). Ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; sheet: 16 x 13 cm (6 5/16 x 5 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift from J. H. Wade, 1924.1012
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