Historiated initial

A letter containing an identifiable scene or figures, sometimes relating to the text.

A letter containing an identifiable scene or figures, sometimes relating to the text. Historiated initials, first encountered in Insular illumination of the first half of the eighth century, became a popular feature of medieval illumination. Borders can also be historiated.

  • Armenian:
    պատկերագիր
  • German:
    historisierte Initiale
  • Portuguese:
    inicial historiada

Michelle Brown, Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts (Malibu, CA: J. Paul Getty Museum in association with the British Library, c1994).