Master of the Codex Rossiano

This 14th-century Italian painter decorated sacred books with tiny, glowing scenes. One of them is “The Trinity in an Initial B,” a 1387 tempera panel tucked inside a giant letter B that’s alive with gold leaf saints. Their world is small, bright, and stiff—think of a painted postage stamp you’d use to decorate a holy page. Next, tap the letter B itself to zoom in on the gold edges and the hovering dove.