Grotesque alphabet in mythological

landscapes c. 1570 by Giacomo Paolini

• Giacomo Paolini Italian copper engraver who lived in the 16th century.Around 1570, he created a suite of ornamental letters known as Grotesque Alphabet in Mythological Landscapes (16th century). Intricate initial caps, with each letter telling a story (the R in the link shows Romulus and Remus in Rome). His inspiration comes from mythology, and often involves angels, mermaids, snakes, and fruits. 

Copyright © The Trustees of the British Museum

Alfabeto di Lettere Iniziali  (c. 1730) (Alphabet Letters Initials) by Mauro Poggi

• Mauro Poggi Italian artist who drew Alfabeto di Lettere Iniziali (ca. 1730), ornamental caps with scrolls and flourishes and then inhabited by satyrs, mermaids, Medusa heads, birds, cats, dogs, snakes, and other creatures. The letters were designed by Poggi, drawn in ink by Andrea Bimbi, and engraved by Lorenzo Lorenzi. (there were 24 letters, rather than 26, because i and j were the same letter, and because there was no w).