Initial “E” with Adoration of the Magi taken from a choir book, possibly from Germany., Mid-fifteenth century.

Description: The burnished gold initial is set in a red field decorated with gold filigree designs. Vestiges of a green foliate border are evident in the upper and left margins. The interior of the letter is filled with a scene of the Adoration of the Magi. In the lower portion, two magi converse while the third kneels before the Virgin and Child sitting on a red bed. Joseph observes from behind a pillow on the left while two of the kings’ attendants hold a discussion on the right. The upper portion of the miniature contains the thatched roof of the manger, tan, conical hills with shepherds tending their flocks, two horsemen, a ploughman, peasants, showing their fields, a town and windmill, and copses of trees. In the pale blue sky are scudding clouds, birds in flight, and three hovering angels. The elegant garb of the Magi, their mincing poses, and the stylized landscape with its vestiges of realism link this miniature with the Internal style circa 1400 in France. However, the rough, sketchy style of painting, the nature of the decoration, and the form of the pointed script on the reverse suggest a German origin for the miniature. Provenance: Formerly Calkins no. 18; De Ricci II, 1237; folder 08.ID Number: CornellMedMS_065_001.jpg (a); CornellMedMS_065_002.jpg (b).