Physical Description
Description and Contents
MS 196: Parchment, 560 x 380 mm (375 x 227 mm), five lines of text ruled in brown ink and five four-line musical staves ruled in red ink on each side of the leaf
MS 197: Parchment, 578 x 400 mm (398 x 228 mm), two lines of text ruled in brown ink and two four-line musical staves ruled in red ink on each side of the leaf
MS 198: Parchment, 588 x 400 mm (360 x 235 mm), two lines of text ruled in brown ink and two four-line musical staves ruled in red ink on the original recto of the leaf, twelve lines of text ruled in brown ink on the original verso.
The two penwork initials on the reverse (original recto), with reserved ornament and red and blue pen-flourished infill and frames, exemplify the fine ornamentation of Santa Maria della Scala’s Choir Books.
David trampling on an enemy
This leaf came from a Choir Psalter made for the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala in Siena c. 1460-1477. The initial D opened Psalm 109 and illustrates its first verse, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: sit thou at my right hand until I make thy enemies thy footstool.’ The image of David trampling on an enemy in full armour was painted by Sano di Pietro.