

Initial S with the Beheading of Saint Paul, ca. 1278
From an antiphonary created for the Cathedral of Imola
Master of Bagnacavallo
Italian (Imola)
Tempera and ink on parchment
From an antiphonary created for the Cathedral of Imola
Master of Bagnacavallo
Italian (Imola)
Tempera and ink on parchment
4 5/8 x 4 5/8 in. (11.8 x 11.8 cm)
Gift of Bradish Johnson Carroll, 1926 (26.159.2)
The Beheading of Saint Paul is one of two cuttings in the Metropolitan Museum's collection that was excised from the ensemble of choir books created for the Cathedral of Imola, near Bologna. As was often the case, the choir books were probably produced around the time of the cathedral's completion in 1271 and consecration in 1278. The patron may have been Bishop Sinibaldo Meloti da Certaldo, who also commissioned the decoration of the cathedral's tribune.







