Cleveland Museum of Art

Historiated Initial (P) Excised from a Choral Book: St. Michael and the Dragon

Date: early 1200s
Medium: ink and tempera on parchment
Culture: North Italy, Lombardy, 13th century
Department: Medieval Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art

The Archangel Michael was traditionally held to be the protector of souls. His intercessionary and protective role is connoted by his combat with and subjugation of the dragon as related in the Apocalypse of St. John the Evangelist. The present initial F is a type known as an "inhabited" initial. Here, the initial serves as a frame providing a display area for figural representation within.

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