The Luttrell Psalter
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| Harrowing BLLuttrell3/11 |
The Luttrell Psalter is an exquisite treasure of the British Library: every page is decorated with the most gorgeous pictures of grotesque monsters, fantastic patterns and foliage and, as here, delightful scenes of everyday life in the medieval period.
Like all our single tiles these are available as coasters and as tiles suitable for incorporation into a wall decoration or surround. As you can see from the example of the rabbit warren below we can add or subtract backgrounds and borders to suit your taste.
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Performing horse BLLuttrell1/7 |
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| Man with Performing dog BLLuttrell1/14 |
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Mermaid BLLuttrell1/22 |
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Lion BLLuttrell1/3 |
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| Psalm 99 BLLuttrell1/1 |
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Psalm 99 no background BLLuttrell1/2 |
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Fox and goose BLLuttrell1/6 |
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| Chicken and chicks BLLuttrell1/4 |
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Cat and mouse BLLuttrell1/5 |
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Geese BLLuttrell1/8 |
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| Dog bites man BLLuttrell1/18 |
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Sheep fold BLLuttrell1/9 |
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| Flying dog BLLuttrell1/16 |
Man with Two dogs BLLuttrell1/20 |
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| Jousting knights BLLuttrell2/10 |
About the Luttrell Psalter
The Luttrell Psalter: Harrowing. Lincolnshire, c.1320-40
British Library Add. MS 42130, f.171
Copyright © The British Library Board
Commissioned by a wealthy landowner in the first half of the 14th century, this is one of the most arresting manuscripts to survive from the Middle Ages. Painted in rich colours embellished with gold and silver, the vitality and sometimes bizarre inventiveness of its decoration is almost unique.
What is a Psalter?
The Psalms are 150 ancient songs, grouped together to form one of the Old Testament books of the Bible. In the Middle Ages (and down to the present day) they formed a fundamental part of Christian and Jewish worship, for ecclesiastics and lay-people alike; many people learnt to read by being taught the Psalms. The Psalms were often written out separately from the rest of the Bible, preceded by a calendar of the Church’s feast-days, and followed by various types of prayers. Such a volume is known as a Psalter.
Why is this called the ‘Luttrell Psalter’?
The manuscript is named by modern scholars after its original patron. The largest picture in the manuscript depicts a knight on horseback attended by two women, immediately below the words ‘Lord Geoffrey Luttrell had me made’ in Latin (‘Dominus Galfridus Louterell me fieri fecit’). The two women in the picture can be identified by their coats of arms as Geoffrey Luttrell’s wife, Agnes de Sutton, who hands him his helm and lance, and his daughter-in-law, Beatrice le Scrope, who carries his shield.
Geoffrey Luttrell was lord of the manor at Irnham, between Grantham and Spalding in Lincolnshire, but he owned estates across England, thanks to his great-great-grandfather, also called Geoffrey. His ancestor’s loyal support and service to King John had been rewarded with grants of various properties, which were greatly added to by marriage to an heiress. The style of the illumination shows that Sir Geoffrey commissioned the Psalter some time between 1320 and 1340.
What is special about the Luttrell Psalter?
It is usual for the most luxurious illuminated medieval psalters to be illustrated with images of King David (the supposed author of the Psalms), and sometimes also pictures of biblical stories or images of saints. The Luttrell Psalter was not the first to include scenes of contemporary rustic life, but it is exceptional in their number and fascinating detail. Its lively and often humorous images provide a virtual ‘documentary’ of work and play during a year on an estate such as Sir Geoffrey’s.