Inhabited initial

An inhabited initial is an initial, an enlarged letter at the beginning of a paragraph or other section of text that contains an illustration of human or animal figures within the letter. It is similar to a historiated initial; however, the figures in historiated initials show an identifiable scene or story, while the figures in inhabited initials do not show a narrative.[1] Figures in inhabited initials may be related to the contents of the text, but do not have to be. They may be purely decorative instead.[2]

Inhabited initial "E" from an Italian breviary, 1153 AD[1]

See also

References
  1. "Glossaries: I". Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts. The British Library. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  2. Chilvers, Ian, ed. (2004). "Inhabited initial". The Oxford Dictionary of Art (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 358. ISBN 0-19-860476-9.
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