A Stunning Missal: Ms. 34 from The J. Paul Getty Museum

Discover our blog: A closer look to one of the folios: “Cosimo de’ Migliorati, future pope Innocent VII, commissioned this luxuriously decorated missal between the years 1389 and 1404. As the name suggests, this manuscript contains all the texts used for celebrating Mass. The splendid illuminations of the missal, consisting of decorated calendar pages, numerous historiated initials, ornamented borders, and miniatures, place the book within the tradition of Bolognese manuscript illumination. The manuscript’s anonymous illuminator, known as the Master of the Brussels Initials, was trained in Bologna, a city whose book trade flourished due to the prestige and growth of the university. The Master’s work is characterized by the use of vivid colors, heavily modeled figures, and borders teeming with drolleries, beasts, and acanthus leaves.“ Manuscript and Text Source: Discover our YouTube Channel: