Two bifolia from a Psalter in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Spain, second half 12th century].

An unusual Spanish Psalter
Two bifolia from a Psalter in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Spain, second half 12th century].
Highly unusual and lively decoration.

Each c. 160 × 230mm. 21 lines, comprising Psalms 70:24–71:19, 76:4–77:3, and 118:14–56, rubrics consist only of ‘P[salmu]S’, the scribe allowed space for a four-line initial to each psalm and the decorator extended three of these to fill large proportions of the adjacent margin, with a tower, two bird-hybrid creatures, and a snake-like creature with knotted neck (recovered from use as flyleaves, with some consequent creases, dirt, and cropping of text on one bifolium).

Provenance:
Colker MS 284; acquired in 1979 from Bernard M. Rosenthal. Two more bifolia, containing portions of Psalms 115–118, also from his collection, were Bernard Quaritch Ltd, Catalogue 1088, Medieval Manuscript Leaves, Principally from the Rosenthal Collection, Bookhands of the Middle Ages, III (London, 1988), no. 64 (ill.) (‘forceful provincial decoration’).

The use of the ampersand and absence of Tironian ‘et’; absence of biting of letters except ‘pp’; and (inconsistent) use of round ‘s’ only at the end of words, suggest a date closer to the middle than the end of the 12th century.

The outlining with rows of prominent white dots invites comparison with Paris, BnF, ms. lat. 17210, attributed to northern(?) Spain in the second half of the 12th century, and the large-beaked bird-heads with ms. lat. 3876, attributed to Catalonia, and perhaps datable to 1143 (François Avril and others, Manuscrits enluminés de la péninsule ibérique (Paris, 1983), no. 57, pl. XXVIII, and no 59, pl. XXIX).

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