Initial D: A Skull in a Rocky Field

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Initial D: A Skull in a Rocky Field

Creator

Taddeo Crivelli

Italian Illuminator · 1479–1479

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Taddeo Crivelli was one of the illuminators who introduced the Renaissance style into manuscript painting in Ferrara. His first known miniatures date to the early 1450s. In the period roughly coinciding with the rule of Borso d'Este over Ferrara, Crivelli and his workshop were engaged in a number of projects, producing a variety of books for aristocratic patrons as well as for religious institutio

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Date: about 1469
Medium: Tempera colors, gold paint, gold leaf, and ink
Culture: Italian
Department: Manuscripts
Institution: Getty Museum

Inside an initial *D* , a skull sits on a green rock. A gruesome reminder of death, this image introduces the Office of the Dead. In addition to being an integral part of funeral services, devout Christians read this prayer service daily to prepare themselves spiritually for death.

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