Three zoomorphic initials with bird and human faces, probably from a Canon Law manuscript on parchment [Italy (perhaps Bologna or Padua), late thirteenth century] Three cuttings trimmed to edges of the long and thin initials, comprising: (a) an initial 'I' , formed from a blue-winged bird, with a human face shaded with pale green, green and red acanthus leaf extensions, and a grumpy-looking bird's face staring out of its body into the margin, red penwork initial 'I' cut from elsewhere in same manuscript and pasted upside down to extend lowermost tip of this zoomorphic initial, reverse with remains of 11 lines of text (with between one letter and 3 letters remaining), paper adhering from last mounting, slight chipping to paint in places, 200 by 26mm.; (b) another initial 'I' formed from a parrot-like bird in blue, grey and red, with a green face with animal's ears, blue penwork initial 'I' cut from elsewhere in same manuscript and reattached as with previous, reverse with remains of 19 lines of text (with between one letter and 5 letters remaining), paper adhering from last mounting, 188 by 199mm.; (c) an initial (probably an 'I'), formed of a green acanthus leaf spray, that turns into a long-beaked bird's head at its top, which curls around to bite its own neck, the foot formed of a human face looking into the margin with a down-turned mouth, one blue initial 'I' beneath this, traces of penwork from other initials and edges of letters in red and black, reverse with remains of 18 lines of text (with between one letter and 3 letters remaining), a penwork human head in margin, 147 by 18mm.; all good and presentable condition Item (c) acquired from a private North American collector in 2016; and items (a) and (b) acquired from a private European collector in 2017. All from a single parent manuscript. The combination of animal and human body parts in these initials, as well their palette and angularity of form recalls Bolognese and Paduan law codices of the last decades of the thirteenth century (see Durham Cathedral, Chapter Library, MSS. C.I.4 and C.I.6: reproduced in Illuminating the Law, 2001, no. 11, pp. 165-71, and no. 12, pp. 172-81).
Three zoomorphic initials with bird and human faces, probably from a Canon Law manuscript on parchment [Italy (perhaps Bologna or Padua), late thirteenth century] Three cuttings trimmed to edges of the long and thin initials, comprising: (a) an initial 'I' , formed from a blue-winged bird, with a human face shaded with pale green, green and red acanthus leaf extensions, and a grumpy-looking bird's face staring out of its body into the margin, red penwork initial 'I' cut from elsewhere in same manuscript and pasted upside down to extend lowermost tip of this zoomorphic initial, reverse with remains of 11 lines of text (with between one letter and 3 letters remaining), paper adhering from last mounting, slight chipping to paint in places, 200 by 26mm.; (b) another initial 'I' formed from a parrot-like bird in blue, grey and red, with a green face with animal's ears, blue penwork initial 'I' cut from elsewhere in same manuscript and reattached as with previous, reverse with remains of 19 lines of text (with between one letter and 5 letters remaining), paper adhering from last mounting, 188 by 199mm.; (c) an initial (probably an 'I'), formed of a green acanthus leaf spray, that turns into a long-beaked bird's head at its top, which curls around to bite its own neck, the foot formed of a human face looking into the margin with a down-turned mouth, one blue initial 'I' beneath this, traces of penwork from other initials and edges of letters in red and black, reverse with remains of 18 lines of text (with between one letter and 3 letters remaining), a penwork human head in margin, 147 by 18mm.; all good and presentable condition Item (c) acquired from a private North American collector in 2016; and items (a) and (b) acquired from a private European collector in 2017. All from a single parent manuscript. The combination of animal and human body parts in these initials, as well their palette and angularity of form recalls Bolognese and Paduan law codices of the last decades of the thirteenth century (see Durham Cathedral, Chapter Library, MSS. C.I.4 and C.I.6: reproduced in Illuminating the Law, 2001, no. 11, pp. 165-71, and no. 12, pp. 172-81).
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