THE INITIAL LETTER
If the illuminated MSS. of the Middle Ages are carefully studied, the
importance of the initial letter as a starting-point for the growth of
the decoration cannot possibly escape one’s notice. The rough sketches
shown in Figs. 23 and 24 trace the development in this direction
through the various centuries. These are given simply to indicate the
way in which the initial letter was used in the different periods. The
student is strongly advised to study the subject for himself. If he
cannot examine the details from the actual MSS., there are plenty of
excellent reproductions published which will enable him to study them
at his leisure. It is, however, practically essential that, even if he
cannot spend much time over them, he should make a point of at least
seeing some of the actual work of the mediæval artists.
In the famous Book of Kells the initial letter is used to great
advantage. It will well repay the student to study carefully some good
reproductions of the pages of this wonderful MS. It shows what can be
done with fine decoration based on lettering. Quite a number of pages
are taken up with the words _Liber generationis Christi_, while one
page is entirely devoted to the sacred monogram X P I.
[Illustration: FIG. 23.]
In Fig. 23 an example is shown in (_a_) from the famous Lindisfarne
Gospels, now in the British Museum (Cotton MS., Nero D. IV.). This
beautiful MS. is written in fine, half-uncial characters, the
decoration being of the kind known as Hiberno-Saxon, or Anglo-Celtic.
A note at the end of this MS. states that it was written by Eadfrith,
Bishop of the Church of Lindisfarne. It was finished about the year
700. It has a most interesting history, which is much too detailed
to describe here. It should, however, be carefully studied from the
standpoint now being considered, viz., the initial letter. The page
represented by this rough sketch is the opening page of the Gospel of
St. Matthew. Of course this very rough suggestion can convey no idea of
the beauty of the original, but it gives one some notion of the way in
which the monogram X P I has been used as a basis for the decoration.
Perhaps it would be as well for the student to study, for the present,
some of the MSS. of the best periods from this standpoint alone. He
should note exactly how the letters are placed and the manner in which
they are used. For the time being he should not concern himself so much
with the details of the decoration. This may follow later, after he has
become more familiar with the subject.
The page shown in (_b_) is from a Psalter probably written at
Winchester in the latter part of the tenth century (Harley MS. 2904).
It is the commencement of Psalm ci. This is also in the British Museum,
as also are all the examples illustrated here. It is quite different
to that of the Lindisfarne Gospels, although possibly some Celtic
influence may be noted.
The next one (_c_) is also from a Psalter (Arundel MS. 60). This is a
further development of the same school as the last, and was probably
written at New Minster, Winchester, about 1060. It is interesting to
observe how the D is linked up with the border.
The initial B, illustrated by (_d_), is from a twelfth-century Psalter
of Westminster Abbey (Royal MS. 2 A. XXII.). Very large initials were
very common during this period. This letter is filled with foliage,
animals, etc., and also shows scenes from the life of David. The
initial B at the commencement of the Psalms was a favourite subject
with the illuminator at this time. He generally introduced the subject
of David slaying Goliath also.
A common feature of the thirteenth-century illumination was the use
of large decorated examples of the initial I, of which an instance is
given in (_e_). These were filled with miniatures and foliage and were
extremely decorative in character. This one is from a French Gospel
Lectionary (Add. MS. 17341), and is filled with scenes from the Life of
Christ.
A charming example is shown in (_f_), which is from a Book of Hours
(Stowe MS. 17). The initial D contains a miniature, as also does the A.
This is probably either late thirteenth or early fourteenth century.
David and Goliath are also represented. The whole MS. is delightful in
style.
Fig. 24 shows some more examples. Another page from a Book of Hours is
given in (_g_) (Egerton MS. 2781). This is a fourteenth-century MS. The
initials and borders are rather rough in technique, but they are very
interesting from the point of view of design. The large initial D has a
miniature representing a legendary story of the childhood of Christ.
The initial A shown in (_h_) is from a fourteenth century Missal
(Harley MS. 2891). The letter is filled with a most delightful
miniature.
The next example (_i_) is a very beautiful initial taken from a Bible
executed in England during the latter part of the fourteenth century
(Royal MS. 1 E. IX.). A number of the initials are filled with foliage,
as in this case, and others contain miniatures. The backgrounds of
these letters are usually of burnished gold with patterns indented upon
them.
A simple, but very beautiful, type is given in (_j_). This is taken
from an extremely fine MS. written, also, at the end of the fourteenth
century (Royal MS. 20 B. VI.). It is a very interesting MS., being an
Epistle by Philippe de Maizières to Richard II. of England, advocating
peace and friendship between him and Charles VI. of France. This type
of initial was fairly common at this period. It is a type of letter
that should be very useful for the beginner.
[Illustration: FIG. 24.]
In the fifteenth century the initial letter lost a good deal of its
importance. The result of this was that the decoration became debased
in character, until it finally became nothing more or less than a
number of naturalistic renderings of flowers and insects, painted
on a gold border and represented as throwing shadows upon it. There
is, however, a certain amount of sweetness about some of this work,
especially when it is compared with some of the work of the present
day. However, some of the MSS. that were produced in the earlier part
of this century are very fine pieces of work. The example illustrated
by (_k_) is from a Psalter of Henry VI., about 1425-1430 (Cotton MS.
Domitian A. XVII.). The large initial D is joined to a miniature.
Several initials are given in (_l_). These are all of the thirteenth
century. The E is of raised and burnished gold on a blue block, the
centre being red and the whole finished with white lining. The N,
P, and U are of a type largely used, being generally red with blue
pen-work, or _vice versâ_. The others are similar to the E, but are
shown as an example of how they were joined when coming close together.
Excellent reproductions of these examples have been published by the
British Museum authorities in a series of collotype plates, the only
exception being (_e_) in Fig. 23, of which an illustration is published
in the Guide to the MSS., Part III.
The main object of this chapter is to direct the student to the study
of the MSS. for himself and especially to show what an important place
the initial letter had in the MSS. of the mediæval period. He is
strongly advised to make a point of studying some of the actual MSS.
for himself.
[Illustration: A Simple Page in Black & Red.]