Illustration of Psalm 80

Unknown (Flemish)

Item type:

manuscript, codex, scroll

Date of creation:

15th century

Height:

20.0 cm  (7 7/8 in.)

Width:

14.0 cm  (5 1/2 in.)

Measurements approximated, based on display from the British Library.

Technique / Medium:

parchment

Description

Illustration above psalm text depicts the interior of the temple. Musicians wearing pointed hats, some bearded, gather in the foreground playing instruments, left to right: two shofars, curved trumpet, lute, fiddle, triangle, two shofars. In the background on the left a musician plays a shofar, and on the right, a musician plays what appears to be a shawm. In the middle lie twin tablets resting on a table, propped against a cushion. An ornate canopy covers the table. To the right of the table is a crowned male figure (probably King David) playing a harp. Other figures are seen interacting outside the entrance arch and through the window. Many inscriptions are present in the illustration.

People as subjects

David, King of Israel (Musician)

Iconclass

71H6
religious deeds of David

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Shofar [4131] (Five musicians play shofars.)
Trumpet [4446]
Lute [3394]
Fiddle [3142]
Harp [3285]
Shawm [4258]

Image URLs

image link 1

Bibliographic references

McKinnon, James W. “The fifteen temple steps and the gradual psalms”. Imago musicae: International yearbook of musical iconography 1 (1984) 29-49. RILM 1984-06934.

Notes

Title is McKinnon's caption, based on the text below the illustration in the Isabella Breviary: "Exultate Deo adiutori nostro," Ps. 80 (Vulgate).

RIdIM record id

4663