From Ingeborg Psalter (fol.14v) 1210, France
Goat Parchment 210mm×297mm
Japanese 24k gold leaf
Gouache painting
Ingeborg Psalter was created about 1195 in northern France for Ingeborg of Denmark, wife of King Philip II of France. It is one of the most significant surviving examples of early Gothic painting.
This illumination shows Christ’s family tree. Lying at the bottom is Jesse, the father of king David. The tree seems to grow out of his body. The figures in the centre are Abraham, David, Mary and Jesus. The three figures to the left, in ascending order: Malachi, Daniel, Isaiah. These prophets all hold scrolls. To the right, the prophet Ezekiel also holds a scroll. The figure below him is Aaron, holding his staff. Above Ezekiel is a female figure, the Cumaean Sibyl. In the Middle Ages she was considered a prophet of the birth of Christ.
