CHAPTER XI

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.

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.

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.