From the Psalter of Saint Louis (fol.39v), middle of the 13th century ,France.
Goat parchment
24 kt gold leaf
Gouache painting
This scene represents a biblical story that I really like. On his way to see Balak, King of Moab, Balaam encounters an angel trying to block him. He can’t see the angel because he is invisible but the donkey can see the angel. The donkey then start talking to Balaam about the angel.
This Psalter belonged to the King Louis lX of France in the 13th century. (There are various theories.) How wonderful it is to own one page of a book that a King read 800 years ago!
