Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts

Psalter-Hours
Belgium, Liège, ca. 1280s
MS M.183 fol. 11v

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Scenes in four concave hexagons:
1) Christ: Presentation -- Veiled female attendant holds taper, beside Virgin Mary, nimbed, veiled, and Simeon, nimbed, with draped hands, both supporting Christ Child, cross-nimbed, standing on draped altar and raising right hand in blessing toward the Virgin.
2) Christ: Baptism -- Nimbed angel holds garment, beside Christ, cross-nimbed, nude, standing in river Jordan in which is fish, and being baptized by John Baptist, nimbed, raising vessel of affusion toward His head; dove of Holy Ghost appears above His head.
3) Christ: among Doctors -- Virgin Mary, veiled, supports with right hand Christ Child, cross-nimbed, seated on bench, raising right forefinger to raised left hand, before five doctors wearing pointed caps, the foremost, seated on bench, raising hands toward Him.
4) Christ: anointed by Woman -- Woman (only upper part visible) with hair in right hand anoints right foot of Christ, cross-nimbed, with right hand raised in blessing, flanked by nimbed apostle with rigiht hand raised and food in left hand, and woman, wearing berbette, with right hand raised, all behind draped table spread with vessels, pitcher, bread, and food.
Oval medallion in center:
5) Male falconer with jesses in right hand and falcon on left hand.
Half medallions at top and bottom:
6) Dragon and winged hybrid man wearing pointed cap.
Scenes and figures in six medallions on decorated frame, reading from left to right top to bottom:
7) Lawrence of Rome: Scene, Martyrdom -- Lawrence, nimbed, nude, lies on gridiron above flames before executioner with fork prodding him. To left, man holds black tablet.
8) Lambert of Li³•ge: Scene, Martyrdom -- Among three soldiers, wearing mail, one, outside the medallion, with spear and another, armed with buckler, with sword strikes Lambert, wearing cross-inscribed bishop's miter and vestments, with joined hands raised toward draped altar on which is chalice covered with corporale; the third, armed with shield, raises sword toward cleric standing behind the altar and raising his right hand toward the shield.
9) Stephen Protomartyr: Stoning -- Hand of God emerges from cloud toward Stephen, nimbed, wearing deacon's vestments, kneeling with joined hands raised, struck with stone, beside executioner heaving stones, and Saul of Tarsus seated with left hand raised, attended by male figure.
10) George of Cappadocia, wearing chain mail, armed with cross-inscribed bannered lance and cross-inscribed shield (argent a cross gules), is mounted on white horse.
11) Christopher of Lycia: carrying Christ Child -- Christopher, carrying on his shoulders Christ Child, cross-nimbed, with His right hand raised in blessing, walks in water of fishes and holds staff in left hand.
12) Peter Martyr: Scene, Martyrdom -- Brother Dominic, nimbed, tonsured, in Dominican friar's habit, stands beside Peter Martyr, nimbed, with wound on his tonsured head, in Dominican friar's habit, kneeling with joined hands raised, and male executioner raising notched sword; tree.
Miniature on verso facing Walloon French poem on recto (Sinclair, no. VII)