Upper cover of the Felbrigge Psalter.

The Felbrigge Psalter is an illuminated manuscript Psalter from mid-thirteenth century England that has an embroidered bookbinding which probably dates to the early fourteenth century. An illuminated manuscript is a Manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration such as decorated Initials borders and A Psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms and which often contains other devotional material England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Embroidery is the Art or Handicraft of decorating fabric or other Materials with designs stitched in strands of thread or Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a Book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of Paper or other material It is the oldest surviving book from England to have an embroidered binding. ^[1] The embroidery is worked in fine linen with an illustration of the Annunciation on the front cover and an illustration of the Crucifixion on the back. In Christianity the Annunciation ( grc Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου, Evangelismós tēs Theotókou in Greek) is the revelation Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from ^[2]

Embroidery

The cover embroidery is 7¾" by 5¾", couched in a zigzag pattern using fine gold thread. In Embroidery, couching and laid work are techniques in which Yarn or other materials are laid across the surface of the ground fabric and St Laurentius-olv manteljpg|thumb|250px|Goldwork, 19th century]] Goldwork is the art of Embroidery using metal threads The remainder is worked in linen floss using a split stitch that flows independently from the mesh of the canvas. In the opinion of Cyril Davenport, the embroidery on this book is very high quality. I know of no other instance for which appropriateness of workmanship, or charm of design, can compare with this, the earliest of all. Davenport praises both the technical quality of the stitching and the overall rendering of the figures and drapery. See illustration for the front cover. ^[3]

Davenport describes the back cover in the following manner:

On the lower side, on a groundwork of gold similar to that on the upper cover, is a design of the Crucifixion. Our Saviour wears a red garment round the loins, and round his head is a red and yellow nimbus, his feet being crossed in a manner often seen in illuminations in ancient manuscripts. A halo (ἅλως also known as a nimbus, Aureole, glory, or gloriole) is a ring of light that surrounds a person in art The cross is yellow with a green edge, the foot widening out into a triple arch, within which is a small angel kneeling in the attitude of prayer. On the right of the cross is a figure of the Virgin Mary, in robes of pale blue and yellow, with a white head-dress and green and yellow nimbus. On the left is another figure, probably representing St. John, dressed in robes of red and blue, and having a nimbus round his head of concentric rings of red and yellow. This figure is unfortunately in very bad condition. The edges of the leaves of the book are painted with heraldic bearings in diamond-shaped spaces, that of the Felbrigge family 'Gules, a lion rampant, or' alternately with another 'azure, a 32 fleur-de-lys, or. Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. '^[4]

By the close of the nineteenth century, when Davenport wrote, the book had been rebound in leather. The back embroidery had been quite done away with and the embroidered sides had been damaged both by time and by efforts at repair. ^[5] The two panels have been laid into a calf leather binding dating from the eighteenth century. ^[6] No other embroidered English book survives from this early period; the next oldest dates from approximately 1536. ^[7]

Grace Christie wrote in 1928 "The Felbrigge Psalter is the only example of existing Opus Anglicanum worked before 1350 with a " surface " couched gold ground. Opus Anglicanum or English work is a contemporary term for fine Needlework of Medieval England done for ecclesiastical or secular use on Clothing "^[8]

Ownership

The book takes its name from Anne de Felbrigge, a nun at a convent of Minoresses at Bruisyard, Suffolk, who is known to have been an early owner of the book and was probably its embroiderer. Bruisyard is a village on the River Alde in the county of Suffolk, England. Suffolk (ˈsʌfək is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. ^[2] Anne de Felbrigge had an aristocratic background: she was the daughter of Sir Simon de Felbrigge, of Felbrigg Hall, Felbrigg, who was standard-bearer to Richard II. Felbrigg Hall is a 17th-century Country house located in Felbrigg, Norfolk, England. Felbrigg is a small village just south of Cromer in Norfolk, England. Richard II (6 January 1367 &ndash ca 14 February 1400 was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399 ^[9]

In 1904, the Psalter was in the possession of the British and Foreign Bible Society. The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply as the Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian charity that exists to make ^[2] It is now in the British Library, under the reference MS Sloane 2400. The British Library ( BL) is the National library of the United Kingdom. ^[6]

Notes