{ "viewingDirection": "left-to-right", "metadata": [ { "label": "Origin", "value": "Third quarter of the 13th century. France, perhaps Paris.

The manuscript was probably commissioned in Paris for a patron with northern English interests; compare the Nuremburg Hours (Nuremberg, Stadtbibliothek, MS 4.4o<\/sup>) and the Murthly Hours (Edinburgh, National Library of Scotland, MS 21000<\/a>). <\/p>

Binski and Zutshi and Stones date the manuscript's production to c. 1270, Peterson to c. 1280.<\/p>" }, { "label": "Origin Place", "value": "France, perhaps Paris." }, { "label": "Provenance", "value": "

'I. kerdings' or 'I. herdings' and 'Wyllyam Foolk' or 'Foolle': names inscribed in the late 15th or early 16th century, perhaps former owners (f. 4v<\/a>). According to Alison Stones (p. 16), these names have been 'tentatively attributed' to John Herd (?1512-1588), historian and medical practitioner (Venn HRT529J), and William Fulke (1538-1589), Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 1581-52 (Venn FLK555W).<\/p>

Sir Thomas Knyvett (1539-1618) of Ashwellthorpe, book collector: characteristic shelfmark 'Sed: 41' (f. 38v<\/a>) and inscription of name (subsequently scribbled over) (ff. 1r<\/a>, 2r<\/a>). No. 41 in the catalogue of Knyvett's manuscripts made shortly after his death (now Cambridge, University Library, MS Ff.2.30), where it is described as 'Psalterium Davidicum' (see McKitterick (1978), p. 162).<\/p>

Thomas Knyvett (1596-1658), grandson of Sir Thomas Knyvett (1539-1618): inherited this manuscript together with Knyvett's collection. See McKitterick (1978), pp. 33-34.<\/p>

John Knyvett (1623-1673), great-grandson of Sir Thomas Knyvett (1539-1618) and son of Thomas Knyvett (1596-1658): inherited this manuscript together with Knyvett's collection. See McKitterick (1978), p. 36.<\/p>

Thomas Knyvett (d. 1693), great-great-grandson of Sir Thomas Knyvett (1539-1618) and son of John Knyvett (1623-1673), inherited this manuscript together with Knyvett's collection. Thomas died without heir and the Knyvett library was fragmented after his death: 57 of Knyvett's manuscripts had been acquired by John Moore [see below] by 1698. See McKitterick (1978), p. 37.<\/p>John Moore (1646-1714), bishop of Ely: no. 71 in Bernard, Catalogi librorum manuscriptorum Angliæ et Hiberniæ<\/i> (c. 1697) (see also f. 1r<\/a>)." }, { "label": "Extent", "value": "Codex: vii + 38 + vii leaves. Only the first of each set of blank endleaves has been photographed. Leaf height: 290 mm, width: 205 mm." }, { "label": "Funding", "value": "" }, { "label": "Date of Creation", "value": "Third quarter of the 13th century." }, { "label": "Classmark", "value": "Cambridge, University Library, MS Ee.4.24" }, { "label": "Donor(s)", "value": "George I, King of Great Britain, 1660-1727" }, { "label": "Additions", "value": "

Numerous marginal additions and sketches have been added to the manuscript by later, non-medieval hands. Scribbles and partially legible note, doodled shaps and sketch of a human head (ff. 2r-2v<\/a>). Attempt to imitate the style of medieval letters in the margin (f. 34r<\/a>).<\/p>

A note on the ownership of the manuscript by Sir Thomas Knyvett and John Moore on f. [i] recto<\/a>, by the hand of Charles Sayle (1864-1924), Assistant Under-Librarian.<\/p>" }, { "label": "Subject(s)", "value": "Psalters" }, { "label": "Associated Name(s)", "value": "Sayle, Charles, 1864-1924; Pine, John, 1690-1756" }, { "label": "Format", "value": "Codex" }, { "label": "Data Source(s)", "value": "This catalogue entry draws on the description provided by Paul Binski and Patrick Zutshi, with the collaboration of Stella Panayotova, Western Illuminated Manuscripts: A Catalogue of the Collection in Cambridge University Library<\/i> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011) (used here by kind permission of Cambridge University Press) and an unpublished description of the manuscript composed between 1926 and 1930 by M.R. James, now held in the University Archives (UA ULIB 7/3/74<\/a>)." }, { "label": "Binding", "value": "

Bowtell-style quarter sheepskin binding with paper-covered sides (late 18th century). <\/p>" }, { "label": "Condition", "value": "Folio 1r<\/a> was previously used as a pastedown, and is now heavily stained and rubbed. The rest of the manuscript shows signs of extensive wear, with occasional dark smudges and areas of the text stained brown, as on f. 6r<\/a>. Some initials, for instance that in the right-hand column of f. 15v<\/a>, are heavily rubbed, obscuring the faces of figures. The manuscript's edges have been trimmed at rebinding, resulting in the cropping of some of the border decorations (see f. 28r<\/a>). A small fragment of border decoration remains on f. 39r." }, { "label": "Script", "value": "

Written in littera textualis<\/i>.<\/p><\/div><\/div>" }, { "label": "Physical Location", "value": "Cambridge University Library" }, { "label": "Abstract", "value": "

Cambridge, University Library, MS Ee.4.24 principally comprises a fully illustrated text of the Psalter (ff. 6r-35v<\/a>), datable on art-historical grounds to around 1270-80. In addition, the manuscript contains an incomplete Calendar, showing only the months of March, April, September, October, November and December (ff. 1r-3v<\/a>), and thirteen Canticles, which are also incomplete, owing to the loss of the last leaf of the manuscript (ff. 35v-38v<\/a>).<\/p>

Significant due to the extent and nature of its illustrative programme, the manuscript contains copious decoration, including historiated initials, line fillers and border decoration. Each month of the Calendar is provided with two miniatures, one showing the occupation of the month and the other the signs of the zodiac. Each psalm, likewise, has been given a dedicated illustration depicting some aspect of the psalm's meaning, except for the psalms beginning the seven Nocturnes, which show instead enlarged scenes from the Life of David (see, for instance, the initial showing David and Goliath on f. 6r<\/a>). An index for the illustrations, possibly contemporary with the manuscript and describing the subject of each miniature in Norman French, has been inserted on a a separate bifolium between the Calendar and the beginning of the Psalms (ff. 4v-5v<\/a>). Throughout the manuscript, there is elaborate marginal and interlinear decoration, comprising birds, animals, fish and hybrid humans and beasts. <\/p>

Since Samuel Berger's work in the late 19th century, this manuscript has traditionally been discussed as one of a group of French illuminated psalters comprising comprehensive illustrations for each psalm together with explanatory inscriptions. This group, which scholars have added to and subtracted from in subsequent revisions of the corpus, contains, in the most recent discussion of the group (Peterson (2004)), the present manuscript (described as 'The Moore Psalter') and each of the following: