De deis gentivm, varia & multiplex historia, in qua simul de eorum imaginib. & cognominib. agitur, vbi plurima etiâ hactenus multis ignota explicantur, & pleraque clarius tractantur
A scholarly Latin mythology treatise by Lilio Gregorio Giraldi, printed in Basel in 1548 by Johannes Oporinus for humanist readers interested in classical gods. The four historiated initials here are woodcut letters with interlaced foliage, grotesque figures and putti, the kind of ornamental capitals a designer could adapt for display type or border work.
