Manuscript Leaf with Foliated Initial P, from an Antiphonary

Unknown

ca. 1250–60 · Tempera, ink, gold, and silver on parchment · Medieval Art

The opening letter of a chant is the equivalent of the beginning of a new chapter in a book. It is, therefore, enlarged and decorated to give it prominence. Here, the initial P comes alive with vines and a doglike creature twisting around the upright of the letter and spewing red into the middle.

Artist: Unknown
Date: ca. 1250–60
Medium: Tempera, ink, gold, and silver on parchment
Culture: Italian
Department: Medieval Art
Credit line: Gift of Louis L. Lorillard, 1896, transferred from the Library

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