Initial "P" (Paulus vinctus)
(Manuscripts and Rare Books, Medieval Europe )
Abstract designs in compartments adorn the shaft of this letter "P." Two profile dragons heads emerge from the top of the shaft, so that this part of the letter resembles the capital of a Romanesque column. The dragon on the right bites or disgorges a spiraling vine-scroll, one of the tendrils of which terminates in a profile human head.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Priory scriptorium of Rochester Cathedral, England, 12th century [possible reference in catalog in Textus Roffensis, Rochester Cathedral Library Ms. A.3.5, fol. 230r; more certain reference in 1202 library catalog in British Library Ms. Royal 5 B.XII, fol. 2r]; Leon Gruel, Paris, before 1931 [mode of acquisition unknown, no. 1138]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, before 1931, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
2009 | The Saint John's Bible: A Modern Vision through Medieval Methods. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Geographies
United Kingdom, England, Rochester, Rochester Priory (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 15 3/16 x W: 11 1/8 in. (38.5 x 28.3 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.18.220V