The Howard Psalter and Hours (British Library, Arundel 83 pt. I) is a 14th-century

illuminated Illuminated may refer to: * "Illuminated" (song), by Hurts * Illuminated Film Company, a British animation house * ''Illuminated'', alternative title of Black Sheep (Nat & Alex Wolff album) * Illuminated manuscript See also * Illuminate (disambi ...

prayerbook. It includes a liturgical Psalter with

canticle A canticle (from the Latin ''canticulum'', a diminutive of ''canticum'', "song") is a hymn, psalm or other Christian song of praise with lyrics usually taken from biblical or holy texts. Canticles are used in Christian liturgy. Catholic Church ...

s and

litany Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Judaic worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin '' litania'' from Ancient Greek λιτανεία (''lit ...

, the

Office of the Dead The Office of the Dead or Office for the Dead (in Latin, Officium Defunctorum) is a prayer cycle of the Canonical Hours in the Catholic Church, Anglican Church and Lutheran Church, said for the repose of the soul of a decedent. It is the proper r ...

, a calendar of East Anglian origin and an incomplete Hours of the Passion. It was produced between 1310 and 1320. It is written in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

in a Gothic script in two columns per page. There are 115 extant

folio The term "folio" (), has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for a book ma ...

s which measure 360 by 235 mm. The text block occupies an area of 250 by 166 mm. It is bound together with the De Lisle Psalter, a contemporary psalter.

Decoration

The manuscript is lavishly decorated. There are nine diagrams, six miniatures, eight large

historiated initial A historiated initial is an initial, an enlarged letter at the beginning of a paragraph or other section of text, that contains a picture. Strictly speaking, a historiated initial depicts an identifiable figure or a specific scene, while an in ...

s, two smaller historiated initials and three decorated initials, all of which are painted in colors and feature gold leaf. The larger historiated initials have full borders which are historiated and contain scenes in the base of the page. The smaller historiated initials have partial foliate borders. The decorated initials have extensions into the margins of the page. There are also some smaller decorated initials which include human heads, which are also painted in colors and gold. There are also smaller gold initials on red and blue grounds, smaller gold initials with purple foliate pen flourishes and smaller blue initials with red foliate pen flourishes.

Provenance

The manuscript may have been made for John Litton (d.1326), whose arms appear on folios 47r and 55v. It was also owned by Theodore of Malinton, Baron of Wemme (d. 1408). An inscription on folio 117r notes his death on May 7, 1408. The manuscript was owned by the antiquary

Lord William Howard Lord William Howard (19 December 1563 – 7 October 1640) was an English nobleman and antiquary, sometimes known as "Belted or Bauld (bold) Will". Early life Howard was born on 19 December 1563 at Audley End in Essex. He was the third son ...

(d. 1640), the younger son of Thomas Howard (d. 1572), 4th

duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...

. William Howard probably first bound it with the De Lisle Psalter. The manuscript was bequeathed to his William Howard's nephew Thomas Howard (d. 1646), 2nd

Earl of Arundel Earl of Arundel is a title of nobility in England, and one of the oldest extant in the English peerage. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and is used (along with the Earl of Surrey) by his heir apparent as a courtesy title. The ...

, 4th

Earl of Surrey Earl of Surrey is a title in the Peerage of England that has been created five times. It was first created for William de Warenne, a close companion of William the Conqueror. It is currently held as a subsidiary title by the Dukes of Norfol ...

, and 1st

Earl of Norfolk Earl of Norfolk is a title which has been created several times in the Peerage of England. Created in 1070, the first major dynasty to hold the title was the 12th and 13th century Bigod family, and it then was later held by the Mowbrays, who we ...

, and then inherited by Henry Howard (d. 1684), 6th duke of Norfolk who presented the volume, along with the other manuscripts in the Earl of Arundel's collection to the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 1667. In 1883 the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

purchased the Arundel manuscripts from the Royal Society.

De Lisle Psalter

Bound with the Howard Psalter is part of what was once the De Lisle Psalter (Arundel MS 83 II), consisting of a calendar and the ''Speculum theologiae'', a collection of diagrams attributed to John of

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

, a 13th-century Franciscan friar working in Paris. The illuminations have been attributed to the Madonna Master, named after the facing miniatures of the Virgin and the Crucifixion (ff. 131v-132r), who may also have been responsible for paintings on the oak

sedilia In church architecture, sedilia (plural of Latin ''sedīle'', "seat") are seats, usually made of stone, found on the liturgical south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for use during Mass for the officiating priest and his assistants, the ...

at Westminster Abbey (1307–8).

Gallery

File:HowardPsalterFol012ArticlesOfFaith.jpg , The Twelve Articles of Faith (folio 12v) File:HowardPsalterFol013Crucifixion.jpg , Crucifixion / Tree of life scene with saints bordering (folio 13r)
Based upon

Bonaventure Bonaventure ( ; it, Bonaventura ; la, Bonaventura de Balneoregio; 1221 – 15 July 1274), born Giovanni di Fidanza, was an Italian Catholic Franciscan, bishop, cardinal, scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister G ...

's ''Lignum Vitae'' File:Folio 125v from the De Lisle Psalter.png , Wheel of the Twelve Attributes of Human Existence. Christ's head is surrounded by twenty-five radial segments with readings about the twelve ages of man, and symbols of the four evangelists in each corner.
Madonna Master from the De Lisle Psalter (folio 126). File:Madonna and Child, De Lisle Psalter.jpg , Miniature of the Virgin and Child. The Virgin's feet rest on a dragon and a lion. She is seated in an elaborate Gothic arched canopy, with niches containing two angels and the saints

Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, ...

and

Margaret of Antioch Margaret, known as Margaret of Antioch in the West, and as Saint Marina the Great Martyr ( grc-gre, Ἁγία Μαρίνα) in the East, is celebrated as a saint on 20 July in the Western Rite Orthodoxy, Roman Catholic Church and Anglicanism, o ...

.
Madonna Master from the De Lisle Psalter.

Notes

Sources