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Details
CALLIGRAPHIC INITIALS, cut from a choirbook, decorated manuscript on vellum
[Germany, second half 14th century]
380 x 470mm approx. (sheet size); THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHT initials, of various sizes, from 27 x 12mm to 65 x 75mm, laid down on eight sheets arranged by letter, the initials in brown, black, red and blue ink, with skeletal staves, infills or extensions incorporating faces and profile heads, animals and birds, grotesque creatures, geometric patterns and foliate decoration (three initials missing, some darkening).
A fine and decorative collection of fourteenth-century calligraphic designs with lively drawings of male and female heads, including a bishop, one full-length standing woman, and engaging representations of animals (including dogs and hares), and birds (including a pelican-in-her-piety), together with a small hunting scene. The use of swans and other birds is predominant in the initials 'A' and 'S', while a range of letters lend their forms successfully to faces and foliage. There are just three intact words: the names Andreas, Maximilla and Clara.
(8)
[Germany, second half 14th century]
380 x 470mm approx. (sheet size); THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHT initials, of various sizes, from 27 x 12mm to 65 x 75mm, laid down on eight sheets arranged by letter, the initials in brown, black, red and blue ink, with skeletal staves, infills or extensions incorporating faces and profile heads, animals and birds, grotesque creatures, geometric patterns and foliate decoration (three initials missing, some darkening).
A fine and decorative collection of fourteenth-century calligraphic designs with lively drawings of male and female heads, including a bishop, one full-length standing woman, and engaging representations of animals (including dogs and hares), and birds (including a pelican-in-her-piety), together with a small hunting scene. The use of swans and other birds is predominant in the initials 'A' and 'S', while a range of letters lend their forms successfully to faces and foliage. There are just three intact words: the names Andreas, Maximilla and Clara.
(8)