two different styles, Style A and Style B., and he Cycle of the Life andPa~ssion of Christ

presents a third style that seems to be unrelated to the illuminated initials with author

portraits in the Psalms.16

 There are some similarities between Style A and Style B that I will consider first.

The initials in this section are also located inside framed panels but they have been

produced in a controlled freehanded way. The decorations are wild and busy and there is

a wide use of interlacing. The illuminated initials are decorated with animal forms and

plant leaves. There are also author portraits with three-quarter length figures that gesture

with their hands and hold unfurled rotuli and musical instruments.

 Style A is found in the initial letters of the Psalms and it is characterized by the

way the gigantic hands are portrayed, the use of vermilion and mustard yellow, and the

patterned hair. An example of Style A can be seen in the initial "B" (fol. CXCVII v) (Fig.

2). Inside the initial there is a depiction of King David playing the harp. The initial "B" is

placed against a framed panel with a mustard background with red stars. The interior of

the "B" is vermilion. The actual initial is done in a column-shape with interlacing at the

top and bottom, connecting them to the plant motifs that complete the shape of the initial.

The interior of the initial is decorated with a curved pattern--a detail also present in other

illuminations of Style A. King David occupies the space in the lower opening of the

initial "B." He is dressed with a blue tunic with an undecorated yellow cuff, and his head

is covered with a yellow turban. His hair and beard are white and are patterned showing

every single strand of hair perfectly combed. The triangular harp is being caressed gently


16 The third style present in the Bible of Avila, which could be called Style C, is the hand
of the artist who created the Cycle of the Life and Pa~ssion of Christ, but since this Cycle
is the center of my research it will not be called Style C.