The Luttrell Psalter
Manuscript Information
Title of manuscript: The Luttrell PsalterMS call number (and folio selected): Add MS42130, fol. 40r
Current location: The British Library
Place of creation: England
Date of creation: First half of 14th century
Codicology and Paleography
Language(s) of text: LatinScript: Gothic/Blackletter
Abbreviations: None
Textual corrections
Contemporary:
Later:
Marginal commentary
Contemporary: Pagination on top right corner (number 40)
Later:
Rubrication:
Instructions for scribe:
Instructions for rubricator and/or artist:
Provenance
Marks of ownership:Previous owners: Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, commissioner
Mise en page
Columns: SingleLines per column: 14
Decoration (in hierarchical order)
Gilding: Small amount of gilding in curve of animal's tail, center top; gilding of pen flourished initialSmall ink initials: n/a
Pen flourished initials: Five 1-line pen flourished initials on alternating lines, except for lines with inhabited initial; blue D on red flourish, gold M on blue flourish, blue M on red flourish, gold G on blue flourish, and blue L on red flourish
Painted initials: n/a
Gold initials: Three gold initials; one inhabited initial and two pen flourished initials
Foliate initials: n/a
Zoomorphic initials: n/a
Anthropomorphic initials: n/a
Historiated initials: 2-line initial on lines 4 and 5 contains a portrait of a man kneeling and praying. Could be an inhabited or historiated initial.
Miniatures: n/a
Marginal Illustrations: Illustration on top center margin of a beast; illustration on bottom center margin of St. Andrew being tortured and crucified on a diagonal cross (Brown, 83).
Full page illustration: n/a
Other Information
Additional Decoration
Borders: The text is bordered on the right and left with blue and red vines and foliage that turn into marginal illustrations of grotesque beasts and everyday people.Line Fillers: A rectangular blue and red line filler with a geometric pattern starts where the script ends and continues until the right justification.
Zoomorphic Line Fillers: A rectangular blue and red line filler inhabited by zoomorphic illustrations starts where the script ends and continues until the right justification.
Signs of Use
Smudged Illustrations: Two characters in the marginal illustration at the bottom of the folio have grey smudge marks over their faces, showing that these characters were evil and people would try to rub their image away.Further readings
Backhouse, Janet. Medieval Rural Life in the Luttrell Psalter. University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division, 2000.
Brown, Michelle P. The World of the Luttrell Psalter. The British Library, 2006.
Camille, Michael. Mirror in Parchment: The Luttrell Psalter and the Making of Medieval England. Reaktion Books, 1998.
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- Lit 150 Winter Quarter Kristy Golubiewski-Davis
