The St. Omer Psalter (BL Yates Thompson MS 14)

Jonah and the whale, f. 70v.

Colloquial name(s): The St Omer Psalter

Official name(s): British Library, Yates Thompson MS 14

Date: c. 1330-1340 (source)

Origin: east England (Mulbarton, Norfolk?) (source)

Online facsimile available via: British Library Online Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts and British Library Digitised Manuscripts

This psalter was commissioned by a knight of the St Omer family of Mulbarton, Norfolk, perhaps Sir William de St Omer (d. after 1347), but was left incomplete (source). It was later acquired by Humphrey of Lancaster, duke of Gloucester, as indicated by an erased inscription on f. 173r which is visible under UV light (source).

The psalter contains a number of historiated initials and miniatures, some of which are available online. The style of the illustration is East Anglian, but connected to the later developments of this style which incorporated Italianate figural style (source). The style is related to that of the Gorleston Psalter (BL Additional 49622) and the Douai Psalter (Douai, Bibliothèque municipale, ms. 313) (source).

Basic descriptions of the illustrations are provided by the British Library with the facsimile.