Getty Museum

Decorated Initial D

Date

probably 1170s

Medium

Tempera colors, gold leaf, silver leaf, and ink

Culture

German

Department

Manuscripts

Institution

Getty Museum

A decorated initial *D,* reminiscent of an embossed shield, opens the prayer on this page. Since the writing of a manuscript was always done first, the scribe left portions of the main text block blank to accommodate these large, elaborate initials, which were then painted in by another artisan. Here the illuminator emphasized the first few words of the prayer by writing them with red ink on silver and gold backgrounds.

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