The Moore Psalter
France, ca 1280

The iconography of this stunningly-illuminated psalter includes a representation of the subject at the opening of each psalm. Some are very literal, such as, at the foot of the left-hand page, a family at table to illustrate Psalm 128 verse 3; ‘Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.’ The artist has also added a huge number of line-fillers ensuring that there is hardly a blank space left on any leaf; the figures include humans, animals, and charming grotesques.

MS Ee.4.24, ff. 32v–33r (Royal Library)