The Utrecht Psalter
The Utrecht Psalter – now digitized – is
not only a Carolingian treasure. It was
also the inspiration for Dr. Seuss
The Utrecht Psalter is a ninth-century manuscript famous for its 166 sketches and pen illustrations,
which markedly differ from the usual illuminations from the Carolingian age. Unique – apart for its
obvious affinity to the Ebbo Gospels – it has of course occasioned a lively historical controversy.
Originally it was thought to be a 6th-century work because of its use of rustic capitals, the ancient Roman
calligraphic script, and its archaic drawings. However, at present it is believed to be a conscious piece of
archaicization, produced in the 9th century. It has been suggested that the work was intended as an
instrument for teaching young novices or monks the psalter, which had to be learned by heart. This might
account for the many illustrations considered mnemonic tools to the theological understanding of the
psalms in the Carolingian time.
The psalter is believed to have been made around Reims and some believe it might have been sponsored
by Archbishop Ebbo, thus placing it in the period 816 – 835. Others, however, have argued for a later
date, claiming it might have been sponsored by Hincmar. (For this dispute, see Chazelle 1997)
Later the manuscript reached Canterbury, where it was copied. After the dissolution of the monasteries it
entered the collection of Robert Bruce Cotton, who lent the manuscript to the Earl of Arundel. He
brought it into exile during the English Civil War. After his death it was sold to finally reach the
University of Utrecht. Already in 1873 it was reproduced fully in a photographic facsimile at the request
of the British Government. Later reproductions were published in 1932 and 1994. In 1996 the psalter was
reproduced on a CD-Rom and online. However, neither of these formats are any longer compatible with
the modern software and a new digitization was decided upon. This was made freely available in
September 2013.
Inspiration
The importance of the psalter was evident very early on, as is witnessed by the early copies as well as the
many instances in which later artists used it as inspiration; famously this was the case with the ivorycovers of the prayer-book of Charles the Bald
One of the more curious cases is the way in which Dr. Seuss (1904 – 1991) was inspired by the drawings
for his funny and evocative figures, for instance the Cat in the Hat and Horton, the Elephant.
SOURCE:
The Utrecht Psalter
Psalterium Latinum – the digitization
Dr. Seuss and the Utrecht Psalter
READ MORE:
The Utrecht psalter in medieval Art: picturing the psalms of
David.
By K. Van Der Horst (Editor)
Language: English
Hardcover: 284 pages
Hes & De Graff Pub B V 1996
ISBN-10: 9061943280 ISBN-13: 978-9061943280
This collection of articles was published in connection with an exhibition in 1996 in “Het
Catharinjneconvent”
On the dating of the psalter:
Archbishops Ebo and Hincmar of Reims and the Utrecht Psalter.
By Celia Chazelle (1997)
In: Speculum (Speculum, Vol. 72, No. 4) 72 (4): 1055–1077.)
from 1876 to 197 more than 6 scholarly
monographs were published:
The history, Art and Palaeography of the Manuscript Styled the Utrecht Psalter
By Walter de Gray Birch
Samuel Bagster 1876
Die Psalterillustration im Mittelalter
By J. J Tikkanen
In: Die Psalterillustration in der Kunstgeschichte, 3: Abendländische Psalterillustration, der
Utrechtpsalter (Helsingfors 1900). Also published in the Acta Societas Scientiarum Fennicae 31 (1903).
Fotomechanic reprint: Soest 1975.
The illustrations of the Utrecht Psalter
By E. T DeWald
Princeton / London / Leipzig, 1932
The Utrecht Psalter
By F. Wormald, F.,
Utrecht, 1953
Het Utrechts Psalterium. Een eeuw wetenschappelijke bestudering (1860-1960)
By J. H. J. H. Engelbregt
Utrecht, 1965
Les illustrations du Psautier d’Utrecht. Sources et apport carolingien
By S. Dufrenne,
Paris, 1978