Leaf of Music
Artist: Cristoforo Cortese (Italian, ca. 1399-before 1445)
Date: 1430-1440
Dimensions:
Overall: 18 3/4 x 13 11/16 in. (47.7 x 34.8 cm)
Medium: Tempera and gold leaf on parchment
Classification: Manuscripts
Credit Line: Museum Purchase
Object number: 1926.45
Label Text:Only a few signed works are known by Venetian artist Cristoforo Cortese, who is considered a pivotal figure in early 15th-century manuscript illumination in Venice. Working in the late Gothic style, he was probably the head of a large studio because there are many works attributed to him, including this leaf of music. These attributions are based on certain stylistic characteristics that include the gilded circles, fantastical flowers, white highlights, patterns of white over dark areas, and the white outlines on the halo of the figure.
The music on this page is from an as yet unidentified piece of antiphonal music, a type of music performed by two interacting choirs, usually singing alternate musical phrases.
The music on this page is from an as yet unidentified piece of antiphonal music, a type of music performed by two interacting choirs, usually singing alternate musical phrases.
Not on view
In Collection(s)