Single Leaf Excised from a Psalter: Initial D[ominus illuminatio mea] with Samuel Anointing David (c. 1270–1290): Art, History and Details

Single Leaf Excised from a Psalter: Initial D[ominus illuminatio mea] with Samuel Anointing David (c. 1270–1290) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

This historiated initial serves as a visual lead to Psalm 26, which begins with the last two lines of the page: Dominus illuminatio mea (The Lord is my light). By setting the body of the initial against a blue diapered (patterned) background for chromatic effect, the artist observed the latest fashion in book illumination.

Object facts

• Title: Single Leaf Excised from a Psalter: Initial D[ominus illuminatio mea] with Samuel Anointing David
• Date: c. 1270–1290
• Culture: Northeastern France
• Type: Manuscript
• Technique: ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
• Dimensions: Sheet: 26.1 x 19.3 cm (10 1/4 x 7 5/8 in.)
• Collection: MED - Manuscript Illuminations
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1985.82

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

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.