#historiated initials

[cuties-in-codices]

gospels of john of opava: gospel initials

intricately decorated, full-page initial letters (F, I, I) for the gospels of luke, john, and mark, from the richly illuminated (and written entirely in gold ink) gospels of john of opava (evangeliar des johannes von troppau). manuscript produced in prague, bohemia, c. 1368

source: Vienna, ÖNB, Cod. 1182, ff. 92r, 149r, and 56r

[uwmspeccoll]

Typography Tuesday

WOOD-ENGRAVED INITIALS FROM MILLER & RICHARD

Displayed here are some wood-engraved historiated and ornamental initials from the Edinburgh type foundry Miller & Richard. The foundry was established by William Miller in 1809. His son-in-law Walter Richard joined the firm in 1832. It remained in continuous operation until 1952 when matrices for a few types were acquired by Stephenson, Blake & Co.

The specimens shown here are from a Miller & Richard type sample book published in Edinburgh in the late 1870s.

View more type specimen books.

View our other Typography Tuesday posts.

[hdslibrary]

Woodcut Wednesday: I is for Iter

Coincidence? We wonder if this 16th century woodcut initial letter I might illustrate an iter, Latin for journey.

Philonis Iudaei Alexandrini Libri : Antiquitatum ; Quaestionum et solutionum in Genesin ; De essaeis ; De nominibus Hebraicis ; De mundo.  Basileae : Per Adamum Petrum, 1527.

[noelcollection]

A collection of four historiated initials from the mid 16th century that depict nobleman hunting on horseback.

Images from: Aristotle's Rettorica, et Poetica d'Aristotile. Firenze : Appresso Lorenzo Torrentino, impressor' ducale, 1549. Call Number: PA3899 .S45 1549 Catalog Record: https://bit.ly/38tJ0eZ

[beckerrarebooks]

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we are obsessed with historiated initials! These examples can be found in our copy of Pliny the Elder’s Historiae Mundi Libri XXXVII, printed in 1549 by the Froben printing house in Basel.

The letter “H” on top contains the story of Hercules and Antaeus. Antaeus was a wrestler who was invincible as long as he remained in contact with the earth. Hercules encountered him while he was carrying out the twelve labors and defeated him by hoisting him aloft and crushing him to death.

The letter “B” refers to the biblical story of Balaam and his donkey. The prophet Balaam was on his way to visit the King of Moab and place a curse on the Israelites, when an angel appeared in the middle of the road. At first, only Balaam’s donkey could see it, causing her to balk and refuse to go forward. Balaam beat her in an attempt to spur her on, and to his surprise, she turned her head and demanded what she had done to deserve such treatment. The angel then revealed itself to Balaam and told him that God disapproved of cursing the Israelites, but, strangely enough, allowed him to continue onward. 

[heaveninawildflower]

Initial letters taken from ‘Scrapbook of Historiated Initials’ by Adam Luke Gowans ( graduated with an MA from the University of Glasgow in 1895 ).

Glasgow School of Art.

archive.org

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[cuties-in-codices]

14th c. swiss choir book illuminations

pages from the gradual of st. katharinenthal, a large-format liturgical choir book produced in the dominican convent st. katharinental and illuminated in the lake constance region, c. 1312

source: Zürich, SNM, LM 26117, fol. 161v, 178v, and 231v

[cuties-in-codices]

jonah climbing out of the great fish

historiated initial E from the grillinger bible, salzburg, c. 1428

source: Munich, BSB, Clm 15701, fol. 319v