Letter Decoration

In many European prayer books, the style od lettering and calligraphy often exhibited the aesthetic traditions of local cultures. For example, the Spanish prayer book La Liturgia Inglesa incorporates decorative patterns in its lettering. These patterns often reflected what was in vogue at the time of publication. In other cases, like the intricate patterning of the dividers that separate pages and stanzas, plants and botanicals relevant to Spanish culture and trade are depicted. In the example of the title page of Psalms, the botanicals at the top of the page depict flowers that would have been commonly used as household decoration. In other instances of stylized lettering, animals and human figures can be depicted, often offering symbolism for what is to be read, which helps the reader spiritually prepare to enter a prayerful state. 

In other prayer books such as The Book of Common Prayer, written in Irish Gaelic, local artisinal traditions are revealed in its calligraphy. Many of its stylized letters are derivative of the ancient designs of Celtic knots, the themes of which even still dominate certain sectors of Irish art today.