Initial N: Vidal de Canellas Offering His Text to King James

The large initial N that opens this first page of the manuscript majestically introduces the prologue. King James of Aragon and Catalonia points to the book held by Vidal de Canellas, the author. The scene affirms the legitimacy of the new compilation of laws with which King James I attempted to consolidate his power over the newly reconquered territory of Aragon. Placed within an initial, the scene shows the king flanked by his bishops, including Canellas, bishop of Huesca, while lawyers below animatedly discuss the new statutes. The figures' elegant gestures, their linear features with few individual details, the blush on their cheeks, and their coifed curls are all characteristic of the Gothic style of the 1200s.