Harley Psalter
Encyclopedia
The Harley Psalter is an illuminated manuscript
of the second and third decades of the eleventh century, with some later additions. It is a Latin psalter
on vellum
, measures 380 x 310 mm and was probably produced at Christ Church, Canterbury
. The most likely patron of such a costly work would have been the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, possibly Æthelnoth, who was consecrated in 1020 and remained at Canterbury until 1038.
Janet Backhouse
described the Harley Psalter as "one of the most important of all pre-Conquest English illuminated manuscripts". It is the earliest of three surviving medieval copies of the Carolingian
Utrecht Psalter
of ca. 820, then at Canterbury, and contains more than one hundred eleventh century coloured pen and wash drawings in the Utrecht Style. It ends abruptly at Psalm 143:12, probably due to loss of pages rather than interruption of the original work. The Psalter is particularly interesting for having been written in three phases. The first phase seems to have been begun with the intention to produce a reasonably exact copy of the illustrations and layout of the Utrecht Psalter, although the Gallic form of the psalms in this work was substituted for the Roman form. This phase encompasses the first (ff.1-27) and third (ff.50-7) phases of the manuscript and is written by a single scribe
.
The second phase of production of this manuscript is represented by the fourth section (ff.58-73) where the same scribe from the first phase continued to write out the psalms, but rather than imitating the layout of the Utrecht Psalter, he simply left gaps for illustrations at the beginning of each psalm. The artist who filled these gaps strayed further from the Utrecht Psalter as well, using much simpler compositions.
Phase three of the manuscript is encompassed in the second section of the Psalter (ff.28-49) which seems to have been written later by the famous scribe Eadui Basan
, although his hand seems either elderly or infirm when compared to the work he produced 1018. Only two eleventh century drawings are found in this part of the manuscript; it has been suggested that this was written in order to replace a portion of the Psalter which had been lost or damaged, as it fills a gap between two sections of seemingly earlier work.
Illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
of the second and third decades of the eleventh century, with some later additions. It is a Latin psalter
Psalter
A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were...
on vellum
Vellum
Vellum is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used...
, measures 380 x 310 mm and was probably produced at Christ Church, Canterbury
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
. The most likely patron of such a costly work would have been the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, possibly Æthelnoth, who was consecrated in 1020 and remained at Canterbury until 1038.
Janet Backhouse
Janet Backhouse
Janet Backhouse was a leading authority in the field of illuminated manuscripts....
described the Harley Psalter as "one of the most important of all pre-Conquest English illuminated manuscripts". It is the earliest of three surviving medieval copies of the Carolingian
Carolingian art
Carolingian art comes from the Frankish Empire in the period of roughly 120 years from about AD 780 to 900 — during the reign of Charlemagne and his immediate heirs — popularly known as the Carolingian Renaissance. The art was produced by and for the court circle and a group of...
Utrecht Psalter
Utrecht Psalter
The Utrecht Psalter is a ninth century illuminated psalter which is a key masterpiece of Carolingian art; it is probably the most valuable manuscript in the Netherlands. It is famous for its 166 lively pen illustrations, with one accompanying each psalm and the other texts in the manuscript...
of ca. 820, then at Canterbury, and contains more than one hundred eleventh century coloured pen and wash drawings in the Utrecht Style. It ends abruptly at Psalm 143:12, probably due to loss of pages rather than interruption of the original work. The Psalter is particularly interesting for having been written in three phases. The first phase seems to have been begun with the intention to produce a reasonably exact copy of the illustrations and layout of the Utrecht Psalter, although the Gallic form of the psalms in this work was substituted for the Roman form. This phase encompasses the first (ff.1-27) and third (ff.50-7) phases of the manuscript and is written by a single scribe
Scribe
A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession and helps the city keep track of its records. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing...
.
The second phase of production of this manuscript is represented by the fourth section (ff.58-73) where the same scribe from the first phase continued to write out the psalms, but rather than imitating the layout of the Utrecht Psalter, he simply left gaps for illustrations at the beginning of each psalm. The artist who filled these gaps strayed further from the Utrecht Psalter as well, using much simpler compositions.
Phase three of the manuscript is encompassed in the second section of the Psalter (ff.28-49) which seems to have been written later by the famous scribe Eadui Basan
Eadui Basan
Eadwig Basan was an eleventh century monk and scribe of Christ Church Canterbury, who worked on several manuscripts, including the Eadwog Gospels and Eadwig Psalter, both of which were named after him, and the Grimbald Gospels...
, although his hand seems either elderly or infirm when compared to the work he produced 1018. Only two eleventh century drawings are found in this part of the manuscript; it has been suggested that this was written in order to replace a portion of the Psalter which had been lost or damaged, as it fills a gap between two sections of seemingly earlier work.