Antiphonal

Master of Gerona

late 13th century

Tempera colors, gold leaf, and ink, Tempera Colors, Ink

J. Paul Getty Museum

This large-scale, splendidly illuminated choir book was designed to be seen from a lectern by a group of singers during the Divine Office, the eight prayer services sung daily by monks, nuns, and clerics of the Catholic Church. The manuscript was likely produced for a community of the Dominican Order based at a church in either Bologna or Florence. It is the first volume of a type of choir book called an antiphonal that probably consisted of seven separately bound books. The illumination of the manuscript primarily takes the form of historiated initials (enlarged letters decorated with a narrative illustration) marking the major Chr