3-039-626 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Initial T: The Agony in the Garden; Collegium Ducale, about 1420-1430. Additional Info:Jesus kneels in prayer and partially obscures the initial T that opens the Canon of the Mass with the words Te igitur clementissime pater ( You, therefore, most merciful Father). After the Last Supper, Jesus prayed to God in the Garden of Gethsemane, expressing his fear over the sacrifice he was about to make for the salvation of humanity. The illuminator set Jesus totally alone against a dark ground, perhaps to emphasize his human frailty. The blessing hand of God appears in the right corner to assure Jesus of the Lord's guidance during the difficult moments that would come during his arrest, torture, and Crucifixion.