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]

References

"Glossaries: I". Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts. The British Library. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
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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[bluk-glosI-1] "Glossaries: I". Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts. The British Library. Retrieved 27 November 2017.

[Chilvers2004-2] Chilvers, Ian, ed. (2004). "Inhabited initial". The Oxford Dictionary of Art (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 358. ISBN 0-19-860476-9.