Leaf from a Gradual, with the Initial G ("Gaudeamus"): All Saints

The November 1 feast of All Saints’ Day is dedicated to all Christian saints, both known and unknown. The subject of this historiated letter reflects this, depicting a large group of saints, three of whom are identifiable. St. Anthony stands at the left, identifiable by his distinctive beard and bell. In the center, Peter Martyr, dressed in a Dominican habit, bears the characteristic gash on his head, which he received when martyred at the hands of an assassin. In front of Peter, Saint Luke holds a box of pigments, referencing the tradition according to which Saint Luke painted the first portrait of the Virgin Mary and Christ child. The choir recited the words introduced by this initial “G,” which translate as, “Let us all celebrate the Lord,” as part of the introit for mass on All Saints’ Day. This leaf comes from a gradual that was part of a large set of choir books commissioned by Cardinal Johannes Bessarion, a leading humanist scholar who also worked to reconcile the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.