Isabella Psalter

The manuscript contains 131 leaves of parchment, and is missing 19 leaves which were separated from the codex at an unknown time. It is a parallel text, with each Psalm appearing in both Latin and Old French. The left-hand pages contain Latin text in black ink, and the right-hand pages contain French text in red ink. The beginning of each principle section of the psalter is marked by a large illuminated initial and marginal scenes from the life of King David. Of the twenty incipit pages originally included in the book, only nine remain. The Latin pages are decorated with 238 initials and marginalia illustrating scenes from the Old Testament, in the style of contemporary Bibles moralisées. The French pages are adorned with initials in the form of heraldic blazons throughout, and a bestiary for the first 77 Psalms. Certain animals appear to be associated with particular Psalms, and evoke the moral qualities which the book elevates. The association between Psalms and animals is unusual in medieval texts, and only otherwise appears in the Mary Queen Psalter. The other distinctive characteristic of the manuscript's iconography is its emphasis on women and their role in the family; the Tree of Jesse, for example, serves as a reminder of Jesus's descent from David by way of Mary. The illustrations related to David focus especially on his wives and concubines, and the other Old Testament images have a similar bent, depicting the marriage of Moses to Tharbis and of Salmon to Rahab, as well as the births of Cain and Samson. Eight scenes are dedicated to Hagar, the concubine of Abraham, and six to the upbringing of Samuel by Hannah.