Initial R: The Resurrection, cutting from gradual
A Sienese choir book leaf from about 1310, a cutting from a gradual made by the First Master of the Choir Books of Siena Cathedral for liturgical use in the cathedral. The painted historiated initial R shows the Resurrection above square-notated Latin chant on red-ruled staves, with blue and white scrollwork framing the gold-ground panel. A designer might take its layered gold-and-blue ornament, the bordered initial letter, and the pairing of miniature painting with dense text block for manuscript-based page layouts.
