CLEVELAND, OH.- The Cleveland Museum of Art presents The Caporali Missal: A Masterpiece of Renaissance Illumination, a focus exhibition that examines the Caporali Missal, a stunning Renaissance manuscript recently acquired by the museum. The missal is presented in a unique setting that brings together liturgical objects that place the manuscript in ceremonial, cultural and art historical contexts. Many of these works have never been on view in the United States, including Bartolomeo Caporali’s monumental painted crucifix from the Church of San Michele Arcangelo in Perugia, Italy. Organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art, the exhibition is on view from February 17 through June 2, 2013.

“The exhibition celebrates an important acquisition by the museum, while introducing new scholarship on this sumptuously illuminated missal and on the two Umbrian artists, Bartolomeo and his brother Giapeco Caporali, responsible for its completion,” said Stephen N. Fliegel, curator of medieval art. “The Caporali Missal is complemented by the unprecedented Italian loans of paintings by Bartolomeo, shown in the U.S. for the first time.”

Acquired by the museum in 2006, the Caporali Missal showcases the work of two artist brothers, Bartolomeo and Giapeco Caporali, who were active in Perugia, Italy during the 15th century. Considered one of the foremost Umbrian panel and fresco painters of his time, the exhibition also explores the influence of Florentine painting on Bartelomeo’s work. Additionally, the exhibition brings together additional panel paintings and manuscripts by both brothers, offering visitors the chance to discover works of art from throughout their careers.

The exhibition is accompanied by a 132-page catalogue, which features exquisite reproductions that bring the illuminated pages to life and additional illustrations of liturgical objects that enhance the religious and aesthetic context of the manuscript. The catalogue was published by the Cleveland Museum of Art and DelMonico Books, an imprint of Prestel Publishing.

Connecting with Caporali, a companion exhibition featuring works of art from local college and university students, will also be on view in the museum’s Education Lobby from April 5 to June 2. Inspired by the themes and objects in The Caporali Missal: A Masterpiece of Renaissance Illumination, the student-created works explore a variety of cultural parallels between the early Renaissance and today, encouraging visitors to make their own connections with the missal.