Exhibition of Illuminated Manuscripts

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1908 Excerpt: ... The book is opened in the Kalendar, for August and September. The Occupations depicted are Reaping and Threshing, and the Signs of the Zodiac Virgo and Libra. The Kalendar and Litany show this book to have been written, in all likelihood at York itself, for some important person in the York Diocese. It subsequently belonged to Simon of Meopham, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1333). On one of the fly-leaves is written: Psalterium pulcherimum dni S. de Mephm archiepi. Bound in russia leather. Lent by Sion College. 45 Psalter. English. Late thirteenth century (after 1280). 173 ff. 22 lines. 9 by 6 inches. Contents: Table for finding Easter, Sarum Kalendar, eleven full-page miniatures, Psalter, Canticles, Athanasian Creed, York Litany, Collects, Office of the Dead. Decoration: Twenty-four small roundels in the Kalendar; full-page majesty with roundels of the Days of Creation, Four Old Testament subjects on one page. Fifteen New Testament subjects on six pages, Martyrdoms of SS. Peter, Andrew, Paul, Stephen, Thomas of Canterbury, Margaret, and Katherine on two opposite pages, full-page Last Judgment; full-page Beatus historiated with a Jesse-tree into which David, Goliath, and two tilting knights are introduced; Seven historiated initials, one of which (Psalm 109) occupies a full page. Birds, hounds, etc., in the margins. The book is opened at the Martyrdoms above described. This Psalter, which is proved to be later than 1280, by the presence of the Translation of St. Hugh (6th October) in the Kalendar, was clearly produced at the same place as a Book of Hours belonging to Mr. Yates Thompson (No. 46). In both books some of the miniatures are lacking, owing to their having been painted on thin pieces of vellum and pasted down. This is the case also with the Y...