Manuscript Leaf with the Nativity in an Initial H, from an Antiphonary

second half 15th century

Not on view

The Christmas story is painted with great charm in a pleasing blend of pastel colors and a profusion of floral and leaf ornament. Angels in the sky proclaim Jesus’ birth, but their scrolls mistakenly read Groria and Grolia instead of Gloria—was the scribe fatigued, in haste, or simply a poor speller?

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Manuscript Leaf with the Nativity in an Initial H, from an Antiphonary
Artist: Master of the Riccardiana Lactantius
Date: second half 15th century
Geography: Made in Florence, Italy
Culture: Italian
Medium: Tempera, ink, and gold on parchment
Dimensions: Overall: 21 7/8 x 15 7/8 in. (55.5 x 40.3 cm)
letter: 5 3/8 x 6 1/16 in. (13.6 x 15.4 cm)
Mat size: 30 1/2 x 23 1/16 in. (77.5 x 58.5 cm)
Classification: Manuscripts and Illuminations
Credit Line: Gift of Louis L. Lorillard, 1896, transferred from the Library
Object Number: 96.32.5
Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

Audio

2842. The Nativity in an Initial H, Part 1

0:00

We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. Please email info@metmuseum.org to request a transcript for this track.

Listen to more about this artwork

More Artwork

By Master of the Riccardiana Lactantius

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Manuscript Leaf with the Trinity in an Initial G, from an Antiphonary, Master of the Riccardiana Lactantius, Tempera, ink, and gold on parchment, Italian — Manuscript Leaf with the Trinity in an Initial G, from an Antiphonary
Master of the Riccardiana Lactantius
second half 15th century

Cabinet frontal with panels from two Embriachi caskets, Baldassare degli Embriachi (Workshop) Italian, Bone and Certosina (inlays of stained woods, bone and horn) with traces of gilding, Italian — Cabinet frontal with panels from two Embriachi caskets
Baldassare degli Embriachi
ca. 1400–1409

Manuscript Leaf with the Trinity in an Initial T, from an Antiphonary, Master of the Riccardiana Lactantius, Tempera, ink, and gold on parchment, Italian — Manuscript Leaf with the Trinity in an Initial T, from an Antiphonary
Master of the Riccardiana Lactantius
second half 15th century

Manuscript Leaf with the Dedication of a Church in an Initial T, from a Gradual, Mariano del Buono Italian, Tempera, ink, and gold on parchment, Italian — Manuscript Leaf with the Dedication of a Church in an Initial T, from a Gradual
Mariano del Buono
second half 15th century

Initial S with Saint Peter Liberated from Prison, Tempera, gold, and ink on parchment, Italian — Initial S with Saint Peter Liberated from Prison
Italian
first half 14th century

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.