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King David in a Golden Frame
1media/21_Rupert_1_thumb.jpg2020-10-17T11:08:56-07:00Victoria Swindle262ed88f021ffe4ea6ac03ca8c1694814e5a41f1380981Facsimile of the Saint Rupert Psalter, fol. 2rplain2020-10-17T11:08:56-07:00Victoria Swindle262ed88f021ffe4ea6ac03ca8c1694814e5a41f1
Salzburg, Archives of St. Peter's Abbey, Cod. A I. 0
Despite its tiny size, this manuscript reflects enormous prestige. Its rich gold and purple accents carried imperial connotations in the ninth century, when the Carolingian emperors were actively promoting the revival of Roman tradition. David, widely viewed as an ideal biblical king and the composer of the Psalms in the Middle Ages, sits jauntily on a throne with a gilded harp on his knee; his full-page depiction reflects both the contents of the Psalter and the aristocratic origins of the book’s first owner. The smallest facsimile in Pitt’s collection, the manuscript is delicately bound with blue thread and wooden boards; it seems perfectly designed to fit in a hand or pocket.
To the best of our knowledge, this manuscript has yet to be fully digitized and made available online. If you would like to bring an open-access digitization to our attention, please contact the UAG at Pitt.
