Initial "L" (Liber generationis)
(Manuscripts and Rare Books, Medieval Europe )
Four winged dragons fill the compartments of this initial "L," the sides of which are adorned with succulent green and blue profile foliage. Two confronted dragons in the lower part of the letterform bite a diminutive human head, as if battling over its possession. The "L" is topped by a human face, painted blue, from which emerge two intertwined, green bird-like dragons.
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.
Christ Church, Canterbury (?); Rochester Cathedral Priory (?); Leon Gruel, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
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.18.1R