Salzburg, Erzabtei St. Peter, Bibliothek, MS a.I.0

Psalter of Saint Rupert Facsimile Edition

Used and new from

1,580

approx US$ 1,744


Our price

More Buying Choices

Request Info

The craftsmanship of medieval book-makers could be remarkable. This manuscript containing the Psalms shows the ability of its makers in producing an extremely small book. The texts and the miniatures are of such reduced size that one needs to look very closely in order to read the text and look at the pictures. The pages only measure 37 x 31 mm. An extraordinary manuscript for its size and antiquity, the Psalter, preserved in the Archiv von St. Peter in Salzburg, is a rare Carolingian example of illuminated manuscript.

The codex was most likely produced in the third quarter of the ninth century in France. The opening page of the codex bears a note of possession that describes the manuscript as belonging to the bishop Rupert.

The inscription was added in the fifteenth century and it testifies that the codex was already property of the monastery of St. Peter in Salzburg, as the note links the manuscript to the monastery's founder St. Rupert. No further connection, however, exists between the book and St. Rupert.

The Psalterium Sancti Ruperti: A Carolingian Miniature of King David

The psalter contains a full-page miniature portraying King David with his psaltery, a stringed instrument that traditionally accompanied the Psalms. The portrait follows the Late Antique tradition of adding the image of the author to the text, thus testifying the authenticity of the Psalms.

The main sections of the Psalms (Ps. 1, 51 and 101) are written in gold against a crimson ground. The body of the text is written in an elegant and clearly legible Caroline Minuscule. As it is common in Carolingian manuscript, the Psalter contains prefatory materials.

The manuscript contains two prefaces, one composed by Jerome and a Prologue Origo Prophethiae, which explains the sources of the Psalms. The small codex was made to be used as several signs of handling suggest the frequent usage of the codex. It is possible that the limited size of the book allowed the owner to carry the manuscript with him.

Binding description

Binding

A remarkable characteristic of this codex is the book spine. The booklet seams and two headbands of the spine are visible and allow modern viewers to appreciate the complex construction of the binding. The rare covers of this codex were made in the late Middle Ages. The antique age of this binding with the visible spine makes this codex an extremely interesting exemplar for understanding the medieval production of manuscripts.

We have 2 facsimiles of the manuscript "Psalter of Saint Rupert":

Request Info / Price
Manuscript book description compiled by the publisher.
Please Read
International social justice movements and the debates that ensued prompted us to start considering the contents of our website from a critical point of view. This has led us to acknowledge that most of the texts in our database are Western-centered. We have asked the authors of our content to be aware of the underlying racial and cultural bias in many scholarly sources, and to try to keep in mind multiple points of view while describing the manuscripts. We also recognize that this is yet a small, first step towards fighting inequality.

If you notice any trace of racist or unjust narratives in our communications, please help us be part of the change by letting us know.

#1 Das Psalterium Sancti Ruperti (Standard Edition)

Graz: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA), 2007

Das Psalterium Sancti Ruperti (Normal Edition), Salzburg, Archiv von St. Peter, Cod. A I. 0, Das Psalterium Sancti Ruperti (Normal Edition) by Adeva.
Das Psalterium Sancti Ruperti (Normal Edition) by Adeva.
  • Commentary (German) by Mütherich, Florentine; Schäfer, Irmhild; Crivello, Fabrizio; Eder, Petrus (OSB)
  • Limited Edition: 980 copies
  • Full-size color reproduction of the entire original document, Psalter of Saint Rupert: the facsimile attempts to replicate the look-and-feel and physical features of the original document; pages are trimmed according to the original format; the binding might not be consistent with the current document binding.

Facsimile issued in an elegant presentation case.

Binding

Wooden covers.

Used and new from

€ 1,580

approx US$ 1,744


Our Price

More Buying Choices

Request Info

#2 Das Psalterium Sancti Ruperti (Deluxe Edition)

Graz: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA), 2007

Das Psalterium Sancti Ruperti (Luxury Edition), Salzburg, Archiv von St. Peter, Cod. A I. 0, Das Psalterium Sancti Ruperti (Luxury Edition) by Adeva.
Das Psalterium Sancti Ruperti (Luxury Edition) by Adeva.
  • Commentary (German) by Mütherich, Florentine; Schäfer, Irmhild; Crivello, Fabrizio
  • Limited Edition: 99 copies
  • Full-size color reproduction of the entire original document, Psalter of Saint Rupert: the facsimile attempts to replicate the look-and-feel and physical features of the original document; pages are trimmed according to the original format; the binding might not be consistent with the current document binding.

Cassette in form of a book, gold embossed leather; gild edging; padded with velvet, two silver clasps.

Binding

Wooden book cover.

Our Price

More Buying Choices

Request Info