Folio Archives 86: The Luttrell Psalter - Limited Edition 2006
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1wcarter
The Luttrell Psalter - Limited Edition 2006
The most expensive items ever produced by the Folio Society were the ill-fated Bayeux Tapestry scroll (£1920) and the Magna Carta reproduction (£1250). The most expensive book ever published by the FS was the Luttrell Psalter (£1090). I am Australian, and the new price here from the FS was an eye-watering A$3100. I obtained my copy on the secondary market for £825 in 2015.
There is only one way to describe this book – it is absolutely GORGEOUS!!!
Wrapped in thick blue Nigerian goatskin with embossing and coloured highlights, it is a sensual pleasure to see, hold, fondle and smell.
This very heavy book is an exquisitely produced facsimile of England’s premier 14th century Illuminated manuscript.
The psalter is copiously illustrated on almost every page, and the vitality and humour of these illuminations, depicting the minutiae of medieval life from farming to fashion, have made this one of the most popular of all manuscripts. Nowhere else is the reality of medieval life depicted with such vitality. With over 600 richly adorned pages the sheer number of illustrations is awesome, and their quality breathtaking.
In medieval times, the creation of magnificent illuminated manuscripts was both a demonstration of piety and a symbol of the great wealth and power of the lords who commissioned them. Sir Geoffrey Luttrell (1276–1345) was a knight and baron whose wealth, dynastic alliances and military record placed him firmly among the English elite. His family psalter, begun in the year 1332 and the work of over ten years, became a priceless legacy.
There is a sense of delight and humour in the pictures which is unparalleled (two men sling a hammock from the very text of the Psalms), while decorative borders are formed by acrobats and stilt walkers. Grotesque creatures stalk the margins. Bizarre hybrids of man and beast, body parts rearranged to parody or praise Creation, plunge into the deepest recesses of the medieval imagination. Much of our knowledge of medieval games, festivities and farming practices comes directly from this work, making it one of the most important of historical resources.
My copy is number 266 from a limited edition of 1480, measures 14 x 9¾ inches and the facsimile has 624 pages. The leather-bound book is bound is blocked with a design by David Eccles using gold, silver and coloured foils. The binding design using motifs from the Psalter and the Luttrell coat of arms of six martlets argent. It is housed in a hand-made solander box, with a leather label, and is accompanied by Professor Michelle P. Brown's fascinating 206 page scholarly commentary which gives a page by page description of the facsimile.
A brochure for this limited edition can be downloaded here.
First page of the facsimile
Commentary volume
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
The most expensive items ever produced by the Folio Society were the ill-fated Bayeux Tapestry scroll (£1920) and the Magna Carta reproduction (£1250). The most expensive book ever published by the FS was the Luttrell Psalter (£1090). I am Australian, and the new price here from the FS was an eye-watering A$3100. I obtained my copy on the secondary market for £825 in 2015.
There is only one way to describe this book – it is absolutely GORGEOUS!!!
Wrapped in thick blue Nigerian goatskin with embossing and coloured highlights, it is a sensual pleasure to see, hold, fondle and smell.
This very heavy book is an exquisitely produced facsimile of England’s premier 14th century Illuminated manuscript.
The psalter is copiously illustrated on almost every page, and the vitality and humour of these illuminations, depicting the minutiae of medieval life from farming to fashion, have made this one of the most popular of all manuscripts. Nowhere else is the reality of medieval life depicted with such vitality. With over 600 richly adorned pages the sheer number of illustrations is awesome, and their quality breathtaking.
In medieval times, the creation of magnificent illuminated manuscripts was both a demonstration of piety and a symbol of the great wealth and power of the lords who commissioned them. Sir Geoffrey Luttrell (1276–1345) was a knight and baron whose wealth, dynastic alliances and military record placed him firmly among the English elite. His family psalter, begun in the year 1332 and the work of over ten years, became a priceless legacy.
There is a sense of delight and humour in the pictures which is unparalleled (two men sling a hammock from the very text of the Psalms), while decorative borders are formed by acrobats and stilt walkers. Grotesque creatures stalk the margins. Bizarre hybrids of man and beast, body parts rearranged to parody or praise Creation, plunge into the deepest recesses of the medieval imagination. Much of our knowledge of medieval games, festivities and farming practices comes directly from this work, making it one of the most important of historical resources.
My copy is number 266 from a limited edition of 1480, measures 14 x 9¾ inches and the facsimile has 624 pages. The leather-bound book is bound is blocked with a design by David Eccles using gold, silver and coloured foils. The binding design using motifs from the Psalter and the Luttrell coat of arms of six martlets argent. It is housed in a hand-made solander box, with a leather label, and is accompanied by Professor Michelle P. Brown's fascinating 206 page scholarly commentary which gives a page by page description of the facsimile.
A brochure for this limited edition can be downloaded here.
First page of the facsimile
Commentary volume
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2folio_books
Lovely photographs, Warwick. They bring to life the sheer sumptuousness of this edition, one of my very favourite Folios. As you say, a feast for the senses. It makes me wonder if we'll ever see its like from Folio again.
3shdunne
It is truly one of the most lovely LEs from the folio society. I keep mine next to my cream leather Kellmscott Chaucer,cream leather Fairie queene and St Edmunds
and the sumptuous red leather Liber Bestiarum. I can’t resist cream,red and blue leather What can I say
and the sumptuous red leather Liber Bestiarum. I can’t resist cream,red and blue leather What can I say
5SF-72
This is a truly gorgeous book, and I don't have high expectations of FS ever doing something like this again, which is a real pity. It was published before I became a member, but I was lucky enough to get it on the secondary market for 380 Pounds, a really great bargain in my opinion.
8Firumbras
I bought this the year it was published, in monthly instalments lasting a year.It is a treasure to me, and i hope my heirs. How could anyone ever part with it? Well done to those of you who got it used and discounted.
9LesMiserables
>1 wcarter:
Beautiful.
Beautiful.
10jveezer
One of the treasures of my library as well! So beautiful and easy to get lost in contemplation of it even if you have no latin. I don't...
11Powderfinger69
Agreed. I don't either.....
