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The Great Canterbury Psalter, Anglo-Catalan Psalter or Paris Psalter〔but not the Byzantine Paris Psalter. The "Great Canterbury Psalter" seems to be a name invented by Nigel Morgan〕 is an early 13th- and mid 14th-century illuminated manuscript with the shelfmark MS lat. 8846 in the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris. It was made in two different locations and moments in time: at Canterbury around 1200 (184 pages) and in Catalonia around 1340. It is the last of a series of copies of the Utrecht Psalter made in Canterbury, following the Harley Psalter and the Eadwine Psalter.〔Morgan (1982), 47〕 The English elements are: the main texts, but only taking the Psalms up to Psalm 98; a prefatory cycle of biblical scenes, from both Old and New Testaments, over eight pages, each divided into 12 square compartments (one has 18 medallions instead); illustrations to the Psalms adapting the Utrecht compositions, but only covering most of the psalms up to Psalm 52.〔Morgan (1982), 47〕 == Canterbury, ''ca''. 1200 == Henry II rules England. Following his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, his dominions also encompass part of France. In 1170, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, has returned from his exile in France with a series of splendid manuscripts illuminated on the continent which were to influence the style of the scriptorium at Christ Church, Canterbury, the monastery servicing Canterbury Cathedral, then one of the most important centres making illuminated manuscripts in England. At that time this workshop was a hive of activity thanks to a fascinating and ambitious project: a triple Psalter featuring the Latin, Hebrew and Gallican versions of the Psalms in addition to glosses in Norman French, the French dialect spoken in England for three centuries following the Norman conquest, as the educated language and the one preferred by the court and the upper classes. They copied virtually the whole text in impeccable script, there being no sign of any mistakes or corrections, and illuminated the first part of the codex. The English masters decided to begin the psalter with daring paintings intended for an erudite audience. They created four full-page, illuminated folios giving a dazzling prologue providing a detailed summary of the history of humanity according to the scriptures in fabulous images. The spectacular nature of the project, the splendour of the manuscript and the lavish use of gold suggest it may have been a psalter for a king: Henry II himself, Louis VII of France or even Philip Augustus in the early years of his reign. Another candidate of noble birth could be Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony. The English artists created a universe brimming with unusual scenes whose singularity and complex symbolism made them difficult to interpret. The almost dream-like portrayal of nature, with unreal, imaginary forms, is stunning. The painters endowed the animals with a personality of their own, depicting them with such expressive faces that they sometimes seem to be speaking to each other. The wealth of colours and lavish use of gold make this manuscript a veritable gem. However, the English miniaturists’ painstaking task was mysteriously interrupted. Something happened to the workshop or the codex that prevented the Canterbury masters from completing the meticulous illumination work they had undertaken. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Great Canterbury Psalter」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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