Leaf of Music

Artist Cristoforo Cortese (Italian, ca. 1399-before 1445)

Date1430-1440

DimensionsOverall: 18 3/4 x 13 11/16 in. (47.7 x 34.8 cm)

MediumTempera and gold leaf on parchment

ClassificationManuscripts

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number

1926.45

Not on View

Label TextExotic birds, a fire breathing dragon, and ornate foliage frame the central haloed figure who gazes toward the music notation of these leaf from an as yet unidentified piece of antiphonal music (a type of music performed by two interacting choirs, usually singing alternate musical phrases). Cristoforo Cortese, a Venetian artist, created this unfinished miniature during the mid-15th century, when the invention of the printing press marked the twilight of manuscripts created by hand. The red four-line staff contains neumes, square notation, a forerunner of today’s five-line staff and notes, but differs because it represents flexible rhythm—more a suggestion than an exact value. The three gold diamond shapes on the far left of each staff represent an “F” clef, denoting the “F” line on the staff. The custos, a check mark at the end of each staff, prepared singers for the first note on the next line. Note the rubrics—letters in red—representing abbreviated instructions for the singers: p̃s (psalm) ã (amen) v (verse) r (responsories)Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, Looks Good on Paper: Masterworks and Favorites, Oct. 10, 2014-Jan. 11, 2015.