The Peterborough Psalter
Gold tooling
Artists' Techniques
Lines and dots were incised in the highly burnished gold background of many illuminations, from the full-page Crucifixion to the small Calendar initials. In the Crucifixion, the tooling accentuates the form of the cross and embellishes the halos of the richly painted figures. The embossing visible on the surface is, however, an unintended consequence of applying punched motifs to the burnished gold Beatus initial on the reverse of the leaf.
Historiated initial E with David slaying a lion (Psalm 80)
In the bottom part of the initial David, armed with a sword, subdues a lion and in the top half, a lion and an ox engage in combat. This initial is the only one to combine figurative and foliate motifs.