X-Nico

3 unusual facts about Great Canterbury Psalter


Great Canterbury Psalter

Ferrer Bassa, considered to be the finest painter in the Crown of Aragón in the 14th century, developed a personality of his own, clearly marked by the Tuscan styles of the Trecento, particularly those of Florence and Siena with which he was so familiar.

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.

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 Christ Church scriptorium, one of the most important centres making illuminated codices in England.



see also