Manuscript Illumination with the Martyrdom of Saint Stephen in an Initial E, from a Gradual

Manuscript Illumination with the Martyrdom of Saint Stephen in an Initial E, from a Gradual

Niccolò di Giacomo da Bologna

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

An archbishop of Lucca, whose family served as bankers to the pope, commissioned Niccolò da Bologna, a renowned illuminator, to create a set of choir books for the Carthusian monastery in nearby Farneta. In the nineteenth century, the monks had to sell the books, which eventually were cut up and divided among collectors. From this single initial, it is easy to understand Niccolò's fame. He infused the harrowing scene of the stoning of Stephen with elegance-in the lines of flowing drapery, touches of gold, and vibrant color. At the same time, he intensified the drama by compressing five figures and an outsized throne into the confines of the letter and then, after the scene was painted, emphatically separating the evil men from the saint with the finishing pink stroke of the crossbar of the E.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Manuscript Illumination with the Martyrdom of Saint Stephen in an Initial E, from a GradualManuscript Illumination with the Martyrdom of Saint Stephen in an Initial E, from a GradualManuscript Illumination with the Martyrdom of Saint Stephen in an Initial E, from a GradualManuscript Illumination with the Martyrdom of Saint Stephen in an Initial E, from a GradualManuscript Illumination with the Martyrdom of Saint Stephen in an Initial E, from a Gradual

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.