Picture Day Friday: Luttrell Psalter Illuminated Manuscript

A Psalter is a collection of all the 150 Psalms, preceded by a calendar of the Church’s feast-days, and followed by various types of prayers. The Luttrell Psalter was commissioned by Sir Geoffrey Luttrell (1276–1345), a knight and a wealthy English baron. From the style of the writing and images, it is surmised that one scribe and up to five artists worked on the manuscript.

Usually, the artwork of a costly Psalter manuscript such as this would be adorned with biblical images. However, this manuscript's artwork is in the Gothic style and depicts detailed scenes from a nobleman's life. The lively and often humorous images provide a window into the daily life (work and play) on a busy, wealthy estate in the Middle Ages.


[Image copyrighted by Giovanni Scorcioni. Used with permission.]