Decorated Initial, In A Volume Of Historical Works By William Of Malmesbury And Geoffrey Of Monmouth

William of Malmesbury (c.1090-1143) was a monk, historian, and librarian at Malmesbury Abbey. Geoffrey of Monmouth (c.1100-1154) was a chronicler who was elected bishop of St. Asaph just before he died. This manuscript belonged to the Cistercian abbey at Margam, in Glamorgan, Wales, which was founded by in 1147 by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, to whom both William and Geoffrey dedicated their works. The text opens with prologue, introduced by a fine blue initial 'R', conforming to 12th-century Cistercian statutes, which had decreed that initials should be in only one colour, and that gold should not be used.