Decorated initial |
|
| 108. Missal | |
| Missal (the
opening of the Easter Sequence). South-West Germany, perhaps Upper Swabia; second half of
the 15th century. MS fragment; vellum; 190 x 140 mm |
|
[recto] Written in Gothic liturgical hand. The historiated initial 'V' represents an angel holding the arms of the donor, a member of the Magenbuch family in Swabia. The arm represents a shield with the front half of a ram in gold on a blue ground, with extensions into margins with a bird and flowers. It has been pointed out that the style of illumination can be compared with that of the Waldburg Prayerbook, written in Upper Swabia in 1476. It was a fairly common practice for the owner of the book to have his/her coat of arms painted. In the Keio collection, examples can be found among some incunabulae, such as Jenson's Plutarch (1478) and Justinus's Epitome in Trogi Pompeii historias (Christophorus Valdafer, 1476). The angel holding a shield was also known as a printer's device of several printers.
|
|
|
[170X 9/20] |
