The Vespasian Psalter (London, British Library, Cotton Vespasian A I) is an Anglo-Saxon illuminated psalter decorated in a partly Insular style produced in the second or third quarter of the 8th century. It contains an interlinear gloss in Old English which is the oldest extant English translation of any portion of the Bible . It was produced in southern England , perhaps in St. Augustine's Abbey or Christ Church , Canterbury or Minster-in-Thanet , and is the earliest illuminated manuscript produced in "Southumbria" to survive.
22-642: The Psalter belongs to a group of manuscripts from Southern England known as the Tiberius group , also including the Stockholm Codex Aureus , Barberini Gospels , the Book of Cerne , the Tiberius Bede , and the Book of Nunnaminster . The psalter contains the Book of Psalms together with letters of St. Jerome , hymns and canticles. The main scribe was also the artist of the miniatures. It
44-528: A goldsmith (Wulfhelm). The others are Ceolhard, Niclas and Ealhhun, who were presumably the monks responsible for creating the manuscript and the elaborate metalwork cover it no doubt originally possessed. In the late ninth century it was looted by a Viking army and Ealdorman Aelfred (Alfred), ealdorman of Surrey , had to pay a ransom to get it back. Above and below the Latin text of the Gospel of St. Matthew
66-731: Is a Gospel book written in the mid-eighth century in Southumbria , probably in Canterbury , whose decoration combines Insular and Italian elements. Southumbria produced a number of important illuminated manuscripts during the eighth and early ninth centuries, including the Vespasian Psalter , the Stockholm Codex Aureus, three Mercian prayer books (the Royal Prayer book, the Book of Nunnaminster and
88-565: Is an Anglo-Saxon illuminated psalter decorated in a partly Insular style produced in the second or third quarter of the 8th century. It contains an interlinear gloss in Old English which is the oldest extant English translation of any portion of the Bible . It was produced in southern England , perhaps in St. Augustine's Abbey or Christ Church , Canterbury or Minster-in-Thanet , and
110-715: Is an added inscription in Old English recording how the manuscript was ransomed from a Viking army who had stolen it on one of their raids in Kent by Alfred, and given to Christ Church, Canterbury . It reads: In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it was in Spain , and in 1690 it was bought for the Swedish royal collection. It is now kept in the National Library of Sweden . Vespasian Psalter The Vespasian Psalter (London, British Library, Cotton Vespasian A I)
132-550: Is now folio 30 verso. It is possible that this miniature was originally the frontispiece or opening miniature of the psalter, and that a decorated incipit page at the start of the Psalms is missing, as well as a carpet page at the end. Sir Robert Cotton pasted a cutting from the Breviary of Margaret of York on folio 160 verso. He also inserted a miniature from a 13th-century liturgical psalter as folio 1. The manuscript
154-441: Is now folio 30 verso. It is possible that this miniature was originally the frontispiece or opening miniature of the psalter, and that a decorated incipit page at the start of the Psalms is missing, as well as a carpet page at the end. Sir Robert Cotton pasted a cutting from the Breviary of Margaret of York on folio 160 verso. He also inserted a miniature from a 13th-century liturgical psalter as folio 1. The manuscript
176-439: Is the earliest illuminated manuscript produced in "Southumbria" to survive. The Psalter belongs to a group of manuscripts from Southern England known as the Tiberius group , also including the Stockholm Codex Aureus , Barberini Gospels , the Book of Cerne , the Tiberius Bede , and the Book of Nunnaminster . The psalter contains the Book of Psalms together with letters of St. Jerome , hymns and canticles. The main scribe
198-483: Is the oldest surviving example of initials decorated with gold leaf . The style is a blend of Insular art , as in the Chi-Rho initial shown, and Mediterranean traditions, possibly including some from early Carolingian art . In the opening shown at the start of Matthew the evangelist portrait to the left is in a consistent adaptation of Italian style, probably closely following some lost model, though adding interlace to
220-468: The Book of Cerne ), the Tiberius Bede and the British Library 's Royal Bible. The manuscript has 193 surviving folios which measure 395 by 314 mm (15.6 by 12.4 in). It contains the text of the four Gospels in Latin written in an uncial script on vellum leaves that alternately are dyed purple and undyed. The purple-dyed leaves are written with gold, silver, and white pigment,
242-613: The Vespasian Psalter. The manuscript was at Canterbury in 1553. By 1556 it was owned by Sir William Cecil , who lent it to Matthew Parker , Archbishop of Canterbury . By 1599 it was the possession of Sir Robert Cotton, who signed it on folio 12 recto. It became national property, along with the rest of the Cotton library in 1702 and was incorporated into the British Museum when it was founded in 1753. The volume
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#1732764900648264-429: The Vespasian Psalter. The manuscript was at Canterbury in 1553. By 1556 it was owned by Sir William Cecil , who lent it to Matthew Parker , Archbishop of Canterbury . By 1599 it was the possession of Sir Robert Cotton, who signed it on folio 12 recto. It became national property, along with the rest of the Cotton library in 1702 and was incorporated into the British Museum when it was founded in 1753. The volume
286-518: The beginning of Psalms 1 , 51 and 101 . This tripartite division is typical of Insular Psalters. In addition, the psalms beginning each of the liturgical divisions of the Psalter are given major initials. The beginning letters of the other Psalms have smaller "minor" initials which are decorated or zoomorphic and are done in what is called the "antenna" style. The only surviving full-page miniature shows King David with his court musicians, and
308-463: The beginning of Psalms 1 , 51 and 101 . This tripartite division is typical of Insular Psalters. In addition, the psalms beginning each of the liturgical divisions of the Psalter are given major initials. The beginning letters of the other Psalms have smaller "minor" initials which are decorated or zoomorphic and are done in what is called the "antenna" style. The only surviving full-page miniature shows King David with his court musicians, and
330-527: The chair frame, while the text page to the right is mainly in Insular style, especially in the first line, with its vigorous Celtic spirals and interlace. The following lines revert to a quieter style more typical of Frankish manuscripts of the period. Yet the same artist almost certainly produced both pages, and is very confident in both styles. The other surviving evangelist portrait of John includes roundels with Celtic spiral decoration probably drawn from
352-566: The enamelled escutcheons of hanging bowls . This is one of the so-called "Tiberius group" of manuscripts, which leant towards the Italian style, and appear to be associated with Kent , or perhaps the kingdom of Mercia in the heyday of the Mercian Supremacy . It is, in the usual chronology, the last English manuscript in which "developed trumpet spiral patterns" are found. An inscription asks for prayers for four individuals, one
374-569: The undyed ones with black ink and red pigment. On some folios, the differing colours of ink are arranged to form geometric patterns. Purple parchment was, in the Roman and Byzantine Empires, reserved for Imperial manuscripts, and in the West reserved for the grandest commissions, and often only seen on a few pages. The illustration programme includes two surviving evangelist portraits , six canon tables and seven large decorated initials. The manuscript
396-595: Was also the artist of the miniatures. It was written in Latin on vellum , using a southern English Uncial script with Rustic Capital rubrics . There were additions made by a scribe named Eadui Basan in an English Carolingian minuscule . The English gloss was written in a Southumbrian pointed minuscule . The codex is 235 by 180 mm 9.25 by 7.1 in. The text is written in an area of about 175 by 135 mm or 6.9 by 5.3 in. There are 160 folios. There are several major initials which are historiated , zoomorphic , or decorated. Major initials are found at
418-598: Was produced during the second quarter of the 8th century, and probably the earliest of the Tiberius group. The script of the Old English gloss is typical of the script produced in Canterbury scriptoria from about 820 to 850. Eadui Basan, who made additions to the manuscript, was a monk at Christ Church, Canterbury during the early 11th century. Thomas of Elmham recorded a Psalter at Canterbury which may have been
440-422: Was produced during the second quarter of the 8th century, and probably the earliest of the Tiberius group. The script of the Old English gloss is typical of the script produced in Canterbury scriptoria from about 820 to 850. Eadui Basan, who made additions to the manuscript, was a monk at Christ Church, Canterbury during the early 11th century. Thomas of Elmham recorded a Psalter at Canterbury which may have been
462-605: Was the first in the Vespasian shelf section in the part of the library indexed by the names from a set of busts of the Roman Emperors on top of the shelves. Its current binding, with metal clasps, was provided by Cotton. Stockholm Codex Aureus The Stockholm Codex Aureus ( Stockholm , National Library of Sweden , MS A. 135, also known as the Codex Aureus of Canterbury and Codex Aureus Holmiensis )
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#1732764900648484-550: Was written in Latin on vellum , using a southern English Uncial script with Rustic Capital rubrics . There were additions made by a scribe named Eadui Basan in an English Carolingian minuscule . The English gloss was written in a Southumbrian pointed minuscule . The codex is 235 by 180 mm 9.25 by 7.1 in. The text is written in an area of about 175 by 135 mm or 6.9 by 5.3 in. There are 160 folios. There are several major initials which are historiated , zoomorphic , or decorated. Major initials are found at
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