Historiated Initial from a Gradual
A historiated initial cut from a liturgical gradual, painted around 1430 by the Master of the Cypresses, possibly Pedro de Toledo, and now held by the J. Paul Getty Museum. It was made for church choir use, with chant text on the page. The picture shows a crowned female saint in a red patterned gown inside a large blue and gold letter, surrounded by acanthus-like scrollwork, flowers, and gold leaf that a designer could draw on for decorative borders and capital-letter framing.
