Manuscript Leaf with Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in an Initial D, from a Gradual 15th - 16th century

Bartolomeo di Domenico di Guido created this illuminated manuscript leaf around 1500, which depicts the Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The image is found within the large initial "D," marking the beginning of a liturgical text. But consider how this sumptuous and beautifully rendered image would have functioned within the religious life of the period. The Catholic Church in Italy held enormous social power, and the production of elaborate manuscripts like this one was a way of materializing spiritual authority. Looking at the clothing of the figures, the architectural details, and the landscape, we can see the concerns of the Italian Renaissance shaping this religious scene. The artist would have been working within a complex network of patronage, and under the sway of artistic institutions such as guilds. By researching the history of the Catholic church in Italy at this time, and the biographies of artists such as Bartolomeo di Domenico di Guido, we can build a picture of the social and institutional forces that shaped this artwork.