Four Saints in a Historiated Initial "P" from a Choirbook or Antiphonal

<p>Late medieval music manuscripts for celebrating the Christian Mass frequently included large historiated (or illustrated) initials, like this letter “P” that contains an image of four saints.</p> <p>It was a common practice to cut out these elaborate initials, particularly in the 19th century, to display individually or use to make a collage. Scholars today are actively trying to reconstruct these cut-up manuscripts; this cutting, for instance, comes from the same manuscript as four other illuminated letters now at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.</p>