Leaf from a Psalter and Prayerbook: Rabbits Dancing (recto) (c. 1524): Art, History and Details

Leaf from a Psalter and Prayerbook: Rabbits Dancing (recto) (c. 1524) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This leaf from a psalter and prayerbook is intricately decorated and was probably produced for use in a private noble family. The prominent mention of Saint Godehard (died 1038), Bishop of Hildesheim, in the original manuscript suggests that it was produced for use in the diocese of Hildesheim (Norther Germany).

Object facts

• Title: Leaf from a Psalter and Prayerbook: Rabbits Dancing (recto)
• Date: c. 1524
• Culture: Germany, Hildesheim (?), 16th century
• Type: Manuscript
• Technique: Ink, tempera and liquid gold on vellum
• Dimensions: Overall: 16.5 x 13.5 cm (6 1/2 x 5 5/16 in.)
• Collection: MED - Manuscript Illuminations
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 2022.101.a

A detail from the museum

On the front side are three rabbits, one playing a Hirtenschalmei (shepherd's shawm). This instrument is mentioned in medieval literature and poetry as being played by rustic types.

Collection credit

James Parmelee Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Schilling, Rosy, and Georg Swarzenski. Die illuminierten Handschriften und Einzelminiaturen des Mittelalters und der Renaissance in Frankfurter Besitz. Frankfurt a.M.: J. Baer, 1929.
• Sotheby's (Firm). Western Manuscripts and Miniatures. 1987.
• Jörn Günther Antiquariat (Firm), and Jörn-Uwe Günther. Recent Acquisitions: Medieval & Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts. Hamburg: Jörn Günther Antiquariat, 1997.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.