1280 ANONYMOUS - Illuminated leaf from a Psalter.
Illuminated leaf from a Psalter.
| Maker: | ANONYMOUS | |
| Date: | Flanders, Rhineland, or possibly England, c. 1280 | |
| Colored: | In original colors. | |
| Size: | 179 x 132 mm / 7 x 5.2 inches | |
| Condition: | 20 Lines of Extremities of the penwork extenders sometimes slightly cropped, the gold of the dragon flaked, else in fine condition. | |
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Description
RECTO : A 8-line illuminated initial Q ("Quid gloriaris ..."), in burnished gold with penwork within the lay-out. Division at Psalm 51, historiated with Doeg Killing of the Priests of Nob (I Samuel 22), a subject which presumably, after 1170, reminded viewers of the martyrdom of Thomas Becket, especially when, as here, only one priest is depicted. Various fine decorative line fillers in gold, red, and blue.
VERSO:Â 9 Versal initials in burnished gold or blue accompanied by alternating blue or red penwork, one gold initial with penwork within the lay-out. Various fine decorative line-fillers in gold.
Since the end of the 1960s, several folia from a Psalter, formerly in the collection of the late Esther Rosenbaum, have surfaced. The present page undoubtedly belonged to this important 13th-century Psalter, of which illuminated pages were sold a.o. for auction at Sotheby's, London (25 April 1983, lot 69, sold to Quaritch), also lot 14, Dec. 1991, lot 6 in Dec.1992, another was offered for sale at Maggs ( cat. 1340, No. 4).
Three other leaves were present in the exhibition on private prayerbooks in Cologne, Schnüttgen Museum, 1987, No. 8.
In a recent sale in London, another leaf, fol. 193, was sold at Sotheby's, 2003, lot. 13.
The origin of the Psalter is here convincingly ascribed to England, rather than to Flanders, due to the inclusion of a scene from the life of St. Thomas Becket on one of the leaves sold at auction in 1991, the greater similarity with line-fillers found in two Psalters from Worcester (in Cambridge and Krivoklát Castle), the "Salvin Hours" ( London, British Lib.) and the Windmill Psalter (New York, Pierpont Morgan Lib.) further enhance an English origin.
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Psalter
A Psalter is a book containing the Book of Psalms, the 150 sacred songs and poems of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. The word comes from the Greek psaltērion, a stringed instrument that accompanied the psalms.The medieval Book of Hours evolved out of the monastic cycle of prayer which divided the day into eight segments, or "hours". Those of: Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, Nones, Compline and Vespers. By the early fifteenth century, the format of the Book of Hours had developed to satisfy the demands of private, as opposed to communal, devotion. These portable books are smaller in format than their monastic forebears, designed for use by individuals, with a liturgical system somewhat less complicated than monastic liturgy and more "user-friendly."
A Book of Hours invariably begins with a liturgical calendar, listing feast days in chronological order along with a complicated method of calculating the date of Easter.
The seven Penitential Psalms are usually included as well, and additional prayers (devoted to particular saints or personal issues) according to the desires and needs of the owner.
In Books of Hours are preserved some of the finest works of medieval art. Each section of the manuscript traditionally begins with an illuminated miniature that complements the prayers, to stimulate contemplation and meditation in the reader.
Because they were expensive and spectacular works of art, the ownership of these manuscripts was limited mainly to royalty, nobility and the very wealthy. They are often adorned with coats of arms, and portraits of patrons may sometimes be found within the miniatures. As their popularity increased, an efficient system of book production and trade developed to match the demand for Books of Hours.
Professional scribes produced the texts in one location, the miniatures were painted in artists' workshops, and the two brought together in the bookbinder's hall. Patrons could choose the texts and miniatures they wanted, or purchase complete, generic manuscripts in stationers' book shops. A thriving economy developed around the production of Books of Hours, especially in centers such as Paris, Bruges and Utrecht.
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