Cleveland Museum of Art

Leaf from a Psalter with Historiated Initial (B): King David

Date

c. 1450

Medium

ink, tempera, and gold on parchment

Culture

Italy, Florence, 15th century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Books of hours evolved from psalters, books that contained the Old Testament book of Psalms (sacred songs) for use in churches. Psalters also included calendars, prayers for the dead, and a specific group of prayers known as the Hours of the Virgin. By the 1200s, laypeople were requesting psalters without the cumbersome psalms, and thus the book of hours was born. This leaf contains Psalm 1, which begins with a large, decorated B containing an image of King David kneeling with a plucking instrument on the ground. The text says beatus vir qui non abit , or “blessed is the man.” The larger size of this leaf indicates it could be used by a group of readers.

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