Manuscript Leaf Cutting Showing an Illumiated Initial R with St. Protasius and St. Gervasius
Olivetan Master
mid-15th century · Tempera, gold, and ink on parchment · Medieval Art
From the delicate inscriptions in white lettering, barely visible on the sides of the initial R, the figures can be identified as the twin saints Gervase and Protase. According to their legend, they were martyred during the second century in Milan and became patron saints of the city. Although the brothers dedicated all their belongings to the poor, their familial wealth is suggested by their richly adorned, fur-trimmed garments, which reflect mid-fifteenth-century courtly fashions.
- Artist
- Olivetan Master
- Date
- mid-15th century
- Medium
- Tempera, gold, and ink on parchment
- Culture
- Italian
- Department
- Medieval Art
- Credit line
- Gift of Bashford Dean, 1923
