Not on display

Crucifixion from a papal Missal

Manuscript Cutting
c.1520 (made)
Artist/Maker
Attavante (attributed to)
Place of origin
Florence (made)
Italy (made)

Miniature with Crucifixion with the Virgin and saint John the Evangelist. Saint Mary Magdalene embracing the foot of the cross. Other unidentified female saints behind the Virgin. Saint Cosmas, saint Damian and saint Francis of Assisi behind saint John. Skull of Adam at the foot of the cross. Pelican feeding its young from its chest (pelican in its glory) at the top of the cross. Landscape with city.
Border: medallions including four Evangelists and their symbols. Clockwise from top left: saint John and the eagle, saint Matthew and the angel, unidentified prophet holding a scroll, saint Luke and the ox, two angels holding a roundel containing the arms of Leo X, saint Mark and the lion, Isaiah holding a saw and a scroll with the inscription 'VERE LANGORES NOSTROS IP[S]E TULIT ET DOLORES NOSTROS' ('Surely he hath borne our infirmities and [carried] our sorrows', Isaiah 53:4). Cherubs and hybrids in foliated decoration with flowers.
Other side not visible. Mounted onto card.

Object details

Categories
Medieval and Renaissance
Christianity
Manuscript Cutting
Manuscripts
Object type
Manuscript cutting
TitleCrucifixion from a papal Missal
Materials and techniques
Parchment
Paper
Ink
Pigments
Gold
Illumination
Brief description
Leaf from a Missal made in Florence for Pope Leo X (1513-1521) showing the Crucifixion, attributed to Attavante degli Attavanti and assistants, Florence, c.1520.
Physical description
Miniature with Crucifixion with the Virgin and saint John the Evangelist. Saint Mary Magdalene embracing the foot of the cross. Other unidentified female saints behind the Virgin. Saint Cosmas, saint Damian and saint Francis of Assisi behind saint John. Skull of Adam at the foot of the cross. Pelican feeding its young from its chest (pelican in its glory) at the top of the cross. Landscape with city.
Border: medallions including four Evangelists and their symbols. Clockwise from top left: saint John and the eagle, saint Matthew and the angel, unidentified prophet holding a scroll, saint Luke and the ox, two angels holding a roundel containing the arms of Leo X, saint Mark and the lion, Isaiah holding a saw and a scroll with the inscription 'VERE LANGORES NOSTROS IP[S]E TULIT ET DOLORES NOSTROS' ('Surely he hath borne our infirmities and [carried] our sorrows', Isaiah 53:4). Cherubs and hybrids in foliated decoration with flowers.
Other side not visible. Mounted onto card.
Dimensions
  • Height: 361mm
  • Width: 251mm
Production typeUnique
Gallery label
Fragmented Illuminations: Medieval and Renaissance Manuscript Cuttings at the V&A, 08/09/2021 - 26/06/2022, rooms 88A-90


George Salting (1835–1909)

Heir to a vast fortune, George Salting combined a frugal life with a passion for collecting the finest artworks. He bequeathed over 2500 objects to the museum, from Chinese porcelains to medieval sculptures. These two cuttings from papal missals reflect Salting’s discerning taste, though the Crucifixion leaf was considered a copy until now. They showcase the work of two well-regarded Italian illuminators favoured by the papacy: Matteo da Milano and Attavante.



Border with Medici arms and four evangelists, from a missal for Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici (future Pope Clement VII (ruled 1523–34))

Attributed to Matteo da Milano

Rome, Italy, about 1513–23

Ink, gold, watercolour and bodycolour on parchment

Museum no. E.4579-1910



Crucifixion, from a missal for Pope Leo X (ruled 1513–21)

Attributed to Attavante degli Attavanti and assistants

Florence, Italy, about 1520

Ink, gold, watercolour and bodycolour on parchment

Museum no. E.4588-1910

[Catherine Yvard]
Object history
Collection of George Salting (1835-1909): acquired with the George Salting Bequest in 1910 (no. 4481); described in the register as ‘copy of a leaf from a Missal. The original, attributed to Attavante, was made for Pope Leo X.’
Bibliographic references
  • Eze, A.-M., Abbé Luigi Celotti (1759-1843): Connoisseur, Dealer, and Collector of Illuminated Miniatures, unpublished PhD thesis, Courtauld Institute of Art, London, 2010. pp. 37, 482 (seems to be uncertain as to whether to consider it a 19th-century copy or an original).
  • The Cambridge Illuminations: Ten Centuries of Book Production in the Medieval West, ed. by Paul Binski and Stella Panayotova, London: Harvey Miller, 2005. pp. 157-158, in relation to no. 64 (entry by Stella Panayotova, mentioned as 19th-century after Attavante).
Other number
4481 - Salting Bequest
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.4588-1910

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O781185/crucifixion-from-a-papal-missal-manuscript-cutting-attavante/
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