description Luttrell Psalter Overview
The Luttrell Psalter is an English illuminated manuscript produced during the 14th century for Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, a landowner in Lincolnshire. Alongside the Psalms and other devotional texts, its margins contain saints, grotesques, hybrid creatures, musicians, laborers, and unusually detailed scenes of agriculture and domestic work. The manuscript is held by the British Library and is an important visual source for medieval English material culture.
help Luttrell Psalter FAQ
Why does the Luttrell Psalter show farmworkers and fantastic creatures beside sacred text?
Its margins combine devotional imagery with plowing, harvesting, cooking, music, games, and imaginary hybrids. These scenes surround a Latin Psalter commissioned for Sir Geoffrey Luttrell of Irnham, Lincolnshire, and offer unusually rich evidence about 14th-century visual culture.
Where is the Luttrell Psalter kept, and can the public view it?
The original is held by the British Library under the shelfmark Add MS 42130. Because display of fragile parchment manuscripts is limited, readers often encounter it through digitized pages, facsimiles, or temporary exhibitions.
Is Sir Geoffrey Luttrell actually pictured in the manuscript?
Yes, a famous miniature on folio 202v depicts Sir Geoffrey mounted in armor while two women assist him. His heraldry and the inscription stating that he caused the book to be made identify him as its patron.
When was the Luttrell Psalter made?
Scholars generally place its production in the first half of the 14th century, often around 1325 to 1340. It was created before Sir Geoffrey Luttrell's death in 1345, but the precise production sequence remains debated.
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