Psalter of Charles the Bald
The Psalter of Charles the Bald ( Latin Psalterium Caroli Calvi , French Psautier de Charles le Chauve ) is a splendid Carolingian illuminated manuscript decorated with gold and purple , which was created between 842 and 869 in the court school of Charles the Bald . The psalter is now in the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris ( Sign. Lat. 1152).
Scribe and writing
The manuscript consists of 173 sheets of parchment 240 × 195 mm in size, which are written in uncials in one column with gold ink , only six pages (41 r , 56r, 69 v , 87v, 103r and 121r) are written in Carolingian minuscule . The initials and headings have a purple background . On f. 172v the scribe Liuthard calls his name in a hexameter : Hic calamus facto Liuthardi fine quievit. (This is where Liuthard's pen rests after the end is reached). Liuthard and his brother Beringer are also known as the scribes of the Codex aureus of St. Emmeram . The time of origin is derived from an intercession on f. 172r opened up: ut Hirmintrudem coniugem nostram conservare digneris te rogamus audi nos (we ask you to protect our wife Irmentrud). This results in a time between the wedding of Charles the Bald and Irmentrud in 842 and her death in 869.
content
After a preface to f. 2. Origo psalmorum David prophetae (The Origin of the Psalms of David) follows f. 4v – 155r the main part, the actual Psalter ( Psalterium Gallicanum ), then on f. 155v – 166v different cantica , on f. 167 the Our Father and other prayers, on f. 168–169 the Athanasian Creed , then on f. 170r-172v. Litanies . In the end, as f. 173 an old flyleaf bound containing parts of the Officium stellae with neumes .
Miniatures and book decorations
In addition to several full-page initials and framed decorative pages with text on a purple background, the manuscript contains three full-page miniatures:
- On f. 1v David with the harp accompanied by four music-making companions.
- On f. 3v Emperor Karl the Bald, to whom the manuscript is dedicated.
- On f. 4r St. Jerome , the translator of the Psalms.
All miniatures contain headings in verse form on a purple background. All verses from the psalter of Charles the Bald were published in the Monumenta Germaniae Historica .
cover
The original Carolingian binding has been preserved. It consists of wooden lids with silver fittings set with gemstones and an ivory relief in the middle. The relief on the front illustrates Psalm 56 ( Ps 56 VUL , Ps 57 EU ) in four superimposed scenes . Above, Christ is enthroned in the mandorla , flanked by men who worship. Underneath, an angel protects the psalmist's soul from lions attacking from both sides ( in umbra alarum tuarum sperabo , in the shadow of your wings I find refuge ). In the third scene, angels ward off warriors armed with flags of victory. In the lowest scene, men fall into the pit they have dug. The same iconographic program can be found on the corresponding illustration for Psalm 56 in the Utrecht Psalter .
The relief on the back cover shows David's rebuke by the prophet Nathan ( Ps 50 VUL , Psalmus David, cum venit ad eum Nathan propheta, quando intravit ad Bethsabee , Ps 51 EU , A Psalm of David when the prophet Nathan came to him, after David had fallen out with Bathsheba ; see also 2 Sam 12.1–24 EU ). David stands with Bathsheba in front of his palace, Nathan comes to the right to reprimand him. Below is the corpse of Urias, in the lowest scene the poor man is shown with a single lamb and the rich man with a large flock. These scenes can also be found in the Utrecht Psalter, where it is shown how the lamb is taken from the poor.
Provenance
Soon after Irmentrud's death in 869, Charles the Bald gave the manuscript to Metz Cathedral . It stayed there for 800 years until it was acquired by Jean-Baptiste Colbert in 1674 . The royal library, now the French national library, acquired the manuscripts from Colbert's estate in 1732.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Poetae Latini medii aevi 3: Poetae Latini aevi Carolini (III). Published by Ludwig Traube . Berlin 1886, p. 243 ( Monumenta Germaniae Historica , digitized version )
literature
- Otto Mazal : History of Book Culture 3/2. Early middle ages. Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt , Graz 1999, ISBN 3-201-01735-3 , pp. 159–160 and 270–272.
- Florentine Mütherich , Joachim E. Gaehde: Carolingian book painting. The great manuscripts in the world. Prestel, Munich 1976, ISBN 978-3-7913-0395-6 .
Web links
- Description in Archives et manuscrits of the Bibliothèque nationale (French)
- Psaltery Caroli Calvi . Digitized at Gallica .