oa The Grotesque Initials in the Alamire Choirbooks

Among the most distinctive visual aspects of the Alamire manuscripts are the initials that incorporate grotesque male heads. Although they have been linked to the Alamire scriptorium, the relationship between the producers of these grotesque initials, the scribes, and the miniaturists has thus far not been determined. This article offers an art-historical analysis of the grotesque initials, the decorated initials, the border decorations, and the miniatures in the entire Alamire corpus. An investigation of stylistic evidence, including the division of work between the painters of the grotesque initials, the miniatures, and the painted borders, leads to the conclusion that the grotesque initials were produced by professional illuminators. Two main stylistic groups can be discerned. One of these was probably produced by artists under the direction of Jacques Scoon, who signed one of the grotesque initials in MechAS s.s., and who may well have organized the illumination of the choirbooks. Several illuminators from the circle of the Master of the Prayer Books of around 1500 participated in the execution of the minor illustrations, strewn borders, and decorated initials that appear in conjunction with the grotesque initials. The miniatures and borders on the major opening pages were usually ordered from the Master of the Baudeloo Missal, who worked independently from the workshop that provided the grotesque initials.