Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts

Psalter-Hours of Guiluys de Boisleux
France, Arras, after 1246
MS M.730 fol. 132v

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Initial L:
Psalm 117 (Vulg., 116).
Initial L formed by male musician playing viol, emerging from jaws of fantastic animal entwined with and bitten by another fantastic animal with foliate tail in upper margin.
Initial C:
Psalm 118 (Vulg., 117).
Initial C decorated with foliate ornament, above nude acrobat grasping his feet, with his head below his hindquarters.
Line ending: nude man, in jaws of fantastic animal, armed with sword and shield (buckler), encountering nude man, indicating hindquarters with right hand, holding stick in left hand, and looking back (Scene, Obscaena).
Line ending: long-eared hybrid animal with two bodies.
Line ending: snail encountering soldier, wearing helmet and chain mail, armed with sword and shield, hurling javelin (Burlesque: Fighting).
Line ending: two escutcheons, one vert, a fess argent, and the other Boisleux.
Line endings: geometric and foliate ornament.
In lower margin below text block of Psalm 118 (Vulg., 117), hooded fantastic animal wrapped around "in eos" of verse 12.