Initial D: David in Prayer (Main View (.108) / book image source)

Buffeted by a wind that represents his adversaries, King David addresses his prayer to an angel above. The image illustrates Psalm 101, which begins with the words Lord, hear my prayer. The illuminator's portrayal of the wind's power, affecting not only David's garments but also his hair, makes the wind as much a subject of the initial as David himself, isolated against a plain gold background. The illuminator made it clear, however, that David's prayer has been heard, because the angel's arm reaches from outside the letter D into David's space.