The Macclesfield Master
Artists
The Macclesfield Master designed the overall decorative programme and supplied most of the pictorial contents. Figures displaying a range of emotions and convincing depictions of the human body are characteristic of his style. He painted the full-page miniatures of St Edmund of Bury and St Andrew; an image of Christ as Judge; all but one of the historiated initials; most of the busts and profiles inside other Psalm initials; most of the borders (including figural decoration) and almost all of the bas-de-page scenes.
Historiated initial D: God the Father and God the Son enthroned (Psalm 109)
The initial for Psalm 109 shows Christ seated to the right of God the Father. The imagery corresponds to the Psalm’s opening verse, which reads: ‘The Lord said to my lord: you shall sit at my right hand’. The initial extends into a border, incorporating heads within medallions. A king converses with a clerk in the bas-de-page scene, which is also occupied by a large bird.