Original leaf from a manuscript Spanish Choir (Ferial) Psalter on animal parchment. (550 x 380mm – 21 ¾ x 15 ¼’’)
Manuscript text beautifully executed by hand over 450 years ago. Signed by the scribe “L. Ruiz” in one of the initials elsewhere in the parent manuscript.
Spain (Dominican Use), c. 1520.
Thirteen one-line illuminated initials alternating in red with violet internal & external penwork, & blue with red internal & external penwork.
This leaf shows considerable devotional use: It suffered a tear not long after it was bound. It was carefully and expertly stitched back together (thread still present) lasting for hundreds of years! A wonderful example of how craftsmanship was respected and cherished. An error was corrected (verso) fifth line from the bottom: the parchment was scraped and the correct “con” replaced the unknown error.
The one-line illuminated “S” begins Psalm 44 (King James 45) 7-18: “Sedes…” (Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a scepter of uprightness. Thou hast loved justice, and hated iniquity: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above they fellows…).
The psalms were central to medieval liturgy, and constituted the core of the Divine Office. In addition to the psalms, a ferial psalter, also known as a choir psalter, contained items of the Divine Office that did not change from day to day, often including the invitatories, antiphons, canticles, short responsories, hymns, and litanies.
As is usual with Medieval and Renaissance parchment, the hair side of the leaf is darker than the flesh side, but may take ink somewhat better. The differences in tone caused scribes to arrange their quires so that the hair side of one sheet faced the hair side of the next, and the flesh side faced the flesh side.
Shipped unmatted
