A Romanesque white-vine initial with a zoomorphic design and gorgeous script, C12th.

An illuminated white vine initial with zoomorphic animal design (ca. 29 x 18 cm) Initial painting from Germany, ca. 1125.

The text is from the Mass of the Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Latin. 18 lines in a single column, written in a large and beautiful Romanesque hand with red lettering and 3 large orange initials in the left-hand margin. The W with a central cross is a feature of early Missals and Sacramentaries, being a monogram of the letters V and D, for the Latin “Vere Dignum” (it is truly fitting). Smaller guide initials in the extreme left margin with prickings. The reverse also has 18 lines but with an additional 2 lines at the bottom edge, cut-off and in a smaller hand.

The white-vine initial is an impressive design coloured with red, green, blue and orange within a circular interleaved drawing which encompasses a zoomorphic animal design with ferocious features against an orange background.