What is the luttrell psalter?
The Luttrell Psalter is a decorated manuscript from the Middle Ages. It was written and illuminated from about 1325 for a land-owner, Sir Geoffrey Luttrell of Irnham in Lincolnshire. It is primarily a book of psalms and canticles in Latin. It begins with a calendar, and ends with a litany with collects and the Office of the Dead with musical notation. It is made up of 309 leaves of robust, well-prepared vellum, each measuring about 360 x 245 mm. It has been rebound in modern dark-brown Moroccan leather. The writing is large and can be read at a distance. It is in the same hand throughout. The text is lavishly illustrated with illuminated initial letters and dozens of marginal decorations which cover almost every aspect of medieval life. Alongside such everyday scenes, the book contains fascinating images of fantastic monsters and beasts. Who made it and how? The Luttrell Psalter, made before paper was introduced in Europe, is on vellum: parchment made from stretched sheepskin. It was p
