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The Dream of Saint Romuald (Cutting from an Antiphonary or a Gradual)
Attributed to: Belbello da Pavia
Italian (Venice?)
Medieval (Late Gothic)/early Renaissance
mid-15th century
Place of Manufacture: possibly Venice, Northern Italy
Medium/Technique
Tempera, ink and gold leaf on parchment
Dimensions
Overall: 21 x 13.5 cm (8 1/4 x 5 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. John Goelet in honor of Hanns Swarzenski
Accession Number1973.692
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsBooks and manuscripts – Manuscripts
DescriptionA cutting from an antiphonary or gradual choirbook (both book types containing songs for the Divine Office or Mass), with four partial staves on verso. Heightened square neumes on a four-line red staff, no clefs extant. Written in a Rotunda script in black ink with text in Latin. Historiated initial (probably [O]), the Dream of St. Romuald (founder of the ascetic Camaldolese monastic order in the late tenth century): while seeking a site on which to build his new abbey (so the legend was recorded in the Vita Beati Romualdi by Peter Damian), Romuald dreamed of a ladder connecting heaven and earth on which ascended and descended men in white robes. In this miniature, the white-robed Romuald is shown sleeping in a kneeling position and resting his head against a white-draped altar. He is surrounded by similarly clothed Camaldolese monks, apparently part of his vision, some of whom are at prayer while others gaze at the ladder to heaven in the background. Contrary to the vision as recorded by Peter Damian, in this depiction angels, not white-robed men, fill the ladder, perhaps a conflation of the legend with Jacob's dream. Gold leaf background.
ProvenanceAbout 1955/1961, the estate of Jacob Hirsch (dealer; b. 1874 - d. 1955), New York [see note 1]. Probably Frederick A. Stern (dealer), New York [see note 2]. 1967, Julius Böhler, Munich; 1967, sold by Böhler to John Goelet, New York; 1973, gift of John Goelet to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 9, 1974)
NOTES:
[1] Millard Meiss, "An Early Lombard Altarpiece," Arte Antica e Moderna, 13 (1961): 132, n. 28 and pl. 46b. [2] According to Serena Padovani, "Pittori della corte estense nel primo Quattrocento," Paragone 26 (1975): 48, n. 28, this belonged to "F. Stern" of New York, presumably the dealer Frederick Stern. At the time of publication, Padovani was unaware that the miniature was owned by the MFA.
NOTES:
[1] Millard Meiss, "An Early Lombard Altarpiece," Arte Antica e Moderna, 13 (1961): 132, n. 28 and pl. 46b. [2] According to Serena Padovani, "Pittori della corte estense nel primo Quattrocento," Paragone 26 (1975): 48, n. 28, this belonged to "F. Stern" of New York, presumably the dealer Frederick Stern. At the time of publication, Padovani was unaware that the miniature was owned by the MFA.