THE FOLIO SOCIETY

A Masterpiece of the English Romanesque

Out of the great scriptorium of St Albans Abbey in the 12th century came one of the most remarkable treasures of English art. The St Albans Psalter contains the earliest surviving cycle of Romanesque illuminations created in England. The Romanesque is a style rich in drama and character, with jewel-like colours and slender forms, that bridges the classical and medieval ages. Sumptuously gilded on every page, the St Albans Psalter is a unique example of this style and a priceless work of art.

By special arrangement with the publisher Müller and Schindler, 50 copies of this exquisite facsimile edition of the St Albans Psalter have been reserved for Folio members. 20 copies have been sold and the remainder are available to order now.

A breathtaking cycle of 46 miniatures

In a dramatic break with tradition, the St Albans Psalter prefaced the Psalms with a cycle of 46 full-page miniatures of the Life of Christ. The artist, known as the Alexis Master, borrowed new styles from Byzantine, French and Ottonian art, with spectacular results. The colours are opulent and jewel-like: blues, purples, pinks and reds, all framed with golden borders entwined with acanthus leaves. The slender, sculpted figures are given depth and form with a delicate filigree of white highlights. Their movements are theatrical and dynamic: fingers point, faces are expressive, and the entire story of Christ is eloquently told without a single written word.

214 illustrated capitals filled with energy and drama

The miniature cycle alone makes this Psalter a priceless treasure, but the rest of the illuminations are equally astonishing. The Psalms are decorated with a total of 214 illustrated capitals: masterpieces in miniature, whose inventiveness and charm belie the complexity of their message. Following the Psalms is an intriguing selection of additional texts, including a Zodiac calendar, a litany, prayers, a letter from Pope Gregory and a French Life of St Alexis. For its artistic innovations and theological subtleties, the St Albans Psalter was a milestone in religious art, and influenced succeeding psalters for centuries to come.

A treasure preserved for almost 1,000 years

Through great good fortune, the Psalter has survived the disasters of war and religious upheaval in almost pristine condition. After the dissolution of the monasteries, it was concealed in a small nunnery near St Albans. Later, during the Civil War, an English Catholic smuggled it into Hildesheim in Germany where it still resides, one of the best preserved of all early psalters.

A facsimile faithful to the smallest detail and gleaming with gold

With gold foiling on almost every page, this facsimile perfectly reproduces the vivid inks of the full-page miniatures and the exquisite penmanship of the illuminated capitals. Faithful in every detail, each page is individually die-cut and gilded to match the original exactly. The calf-leather binding is blocked with a Romanesque design exclusive to The Folio Society’s copies. Three noted scholars of medieval manuscripts, Jochem Bepler, Peter Kidd and Jane Geddes, have contributed to the accompanying Commentary volume, making it the definitive guide to the history, art and symbolism of the St Albans Psalter.

A detailed Commentary that reveals the story of a masterpiece

Jochem Belpler provides a detailed history of the manuscript in England and in Hildesheim, where the St Albans Psalter is kept today. Peter Kidd’s extensive work on the making of the manuscript reveals the astonishing skills of the many artists and scribes who had a hand in it, and tells the story of its commission by the Abbot Geoffrey for the nun Christina of Markyate. Finally, Jane Geddes’s fine commentary on the illustrations themselves explains the visual imagery, decoding their subtle symbolism for the modern reader.

Over 200 gorgeous historiated initials, an astonishing 46-page series of full-page miniatures, and a host of other decorative features … The St Albans Psalter is a milestone in English art, and a treasure worthy to be kept for generations.

Distinguished fine art publishers Müller and Schindler have replicated it in all its glorious detail. Out of the limitation of 1,125, we have secured 50 copies exclusively for Folio Society members. The cover design, blocked on calf leather and adapted from an original 12th-century binding, is exclusive to these copies.