Initial R or B: Saint Michael and the Dragon, cutting from an antiphonal
An illuminated initial from a 1446 antiphonal, a choir book for liturgical singing, made in manuscript workshops and now held by the J. Paul Getty Museum for church use. The picture shows a gilded initial with a knight-saint in armour set within acanthus scrolls, and a designer might take its bold gold grounds, curling leaf forms and jewel-bright colour pairings for decorative borders and lettering.
