Creative Commons License
Inhabited Initial L
(Manuscripts and Rare Books)
Enlarged initials filled with humans or animals are known as "inhabited initials," and they tend to be playful rather than illustrations of the text. On this page, two armored soldiers scale the initial L at the beginning of Matthew's Gospel. One hoists the other up on his shoulders, perhaps offering his companion a better view of the angel on the opposite page. While fun, these types of images were also useful, since they visually marked sections of text.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Leon Gruel, Paris, late 19th century; Henry Walters, Baltimore, after 1894 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2010 | Checkmate! Medieval People at Play. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2004 | Illuminating the Word: Gospel Books in the Middle Ages. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1990 | From Romanesque to Gothic: Illumination in Transition. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1984-1985 | Illuminated Manuscripts: Masterpieces in Miniature. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Spain
(Place of Origin)
France (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 11 1/4 x W: 9 3/16 in. (28.6 x 23.3 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, after 1894
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.17.9R
