The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 25, 2023

Initial D[eus in loco] with a Prophet Excised from a Gradual

1409–10

Lorenzo Monaco

(Italian, c. 1370–1425)

Italy, Florence, 15th century

Ink, tempera, and gold on vellum

Sheet: 16.7 x 16 cm (6 9/16 x 6 5/16 in.); Framed: 52.4 x 39.7 cm (20 5/8 x 15 5/8 in.); Matted: 48.9 x 36.2 cm (19 1/4 x 14 1/4 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1949.536

Location

not on view

Description

This jewel-like initial is one of a series of prophet portraits painted by Lorenzo in a set of choir books commissioned by the church of Santa Maria Nuova in Florence. Striking for its blue and orange-red foliage, the initial is set against a highly burnished gold ground decorated with punch marks, much like a small panel painting. The initial begins the Introit (introductory section) to the Mass for the eleventh Sunday after Pentacost: Deus in loco sancto suo (God is in his holy place). Lorenzo, who was a Camaldolese monk, produced a vast quantity of work—illuminations, panel paintings, and frescos—an indication that his art was highly esteemed and sought after during his lifetime.

Provenance
Vladimir Simkovitch (New York)
Citations
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 62 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 62 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 68 archive.org
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 274-275, no. 104
Exhibition history

Buffalo, Albright Art Gallery, "Art in the Book" December 5, 1953-January 3, 1954, cat. no. 14.
Berkeley, University Art Gallery, University of California, "Pages from Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts" April 24-June 8, 1963, cat. no. 44, pl. XL.
The Cleveland Museum of Art, "Gothic Art, 1360-1440" August 8-September 15, 1963, no. 64.
CMA: "Florence and the Arts-Five Centries of Patronage" 1971, no. 45, repr.
Atlanta, The High Museum, "Italian Renaissance Illuminations," December 16, 1973-February 15, cat. no. 38, fig. 10.
Cleveland Museum of Art, "The Decorated Letter and the Illuminator's Art" September 25-December 19, 1993.
New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Paintings and Illumination in Early Renaissance Florence 1300-1450" November 18, 1994-February 26, 1995.

The Cleveland Museum of Art (10/10/2004 - 10/02/2005); "Illuminated Manuscripts"

Bavarian Nationalmuseum, Munich (5/10/2007 - 9/16/2007), the J. Paul Getty Musuem, Los Angeles (10/30/2007 - 1/20/2008) and Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN (2/13/2009 - 6/7/2009): "Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art"

Cleveland Museum of Art, (11/06/2010 - 04/17/2011); "The Glory Of the Painted Page: Manuscript Illuminations from the Permanent Collections"

Pages From Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA (April 24-June 8, 1963).

Gothic Art 1360-1440. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 6-September 15, 1963).

Florence and the Arts: Five Centuries of Patronage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 13-September 19, 1971).

Italian Renaissance Illuminations. High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA (organizer) (December 16, 1973-February 15, 1974).

The Decorated Letter and the Illuminator's Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 25-December 19, 1993).

Illuminated Manuscripts. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (October 10, 2004-October 2, 2005).

Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 13-June 7, 2009).

The Glory of the Painted Page: Manuscript Illuminations from the Permanent Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 6, 2010-April 17, 2011).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1949.536