Determining Key Characteristics of a Gradual on Private Loan to The Mathis Gallery at The University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Abstract

The research presented in this thesis seeks to answer questions about the patronage, dating, and location of origin of a Gradual, given on private loan, to the Mathis Gallery at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Gradual’s chant text and illuminations were used to identify the various feast days of the Sanctorale within the liturgical manuscript. The identification of certain feast days and their locations within the Sanctorale, like Saint Joachim’s feast day being located after the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, point towards a terminus post quem of 1738, due to Pope Clement XII moving Saint Joachim’s feast day after the Assumption in 1738. The inclusion of a wide variety of Franciscan Feast Days, like the Feast Day of All Saints of the Seraphic Order, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint John of Capistrano, and Saint Didacus all point towards a Franciscan patronage within the manuscript, along with the fact that three of the seven large illuminations are Franciscan in subject matter. The inclusion of Jesuit-related saints and imagery, Italian-inspired script, and Italian-style buildings in illuminations imply a location of origin in Italy.