The Luttrell Psalter: Decoding a Medieval Masterwork
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Tuesday 8 April 2025
(6pm) - Online Zoom Event, link details will be emailed to attendees on the morning of the event
- Lecturer: Michelle Brown FSA
The Luttrell Psalter offers us an unparalleled window into life and art in England on the eve of the Black Death and was made for Sir Geoffrey Luttrell of Irnham (Lincs.) in the 1330s. It is one of the most personalised of medieval manuscripts in reflecting the agendas and aspirations of both patron and artist and in depicting life on the manorial estate and in politics, love and war for the lord of the manor, his family and their folk. Not only the main programme of illumination of the text but the margins too abound with life, from ambitious rulers, formidable knights and their ladies to rebellious peasants, eloping lovers, travelling pilgrims, friars and the poor – not to mention their animals and a menagerie of grotesques. But how can we dig deeper, to see beyond established iconographies and styles and decode the secrets of this remarkable book’s making and meaning…?
This online lecture will be recorded and available to ticketholders for two weeks after the event.
Lecturer
Dr Michelle Brown is Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. She was formerly Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library. She has published, exhibited and broadcast widely on medieval culture.
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