Manuscript Cutting: Historiated Initial ‘D’ from a Choir Book showing the Finding of the True Cross

Unknown Artist
Historiated Initial ‘D’ from a Choir Book showing the Finding of the True Cross
Italy, about 1550-1600
Water-based pigments, gilding and ink on parchment, 438 x 305 mm
Victoria and Albert Museum (No. 4142)

This cutting from an Italian choir book shows the Finding of the True Cross, embellished with ornate details. According to legend, Saint Helena (here shown crowned), mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, found the cross on which Jesus was crucified during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the early fourth century. The cutting, while no longer physically attached to its parent choir book, still shows a fragment (right) of the original choral lines where the musical notes would have been written. It provides a good example of how ruthless nineteenth-century cutting could be, with the focus exclusively on the decorative elements, and no concern for context.