Golden miniatures as a beautiful bridge from Romanesque to Gothic: arguably the most beautiful and valuable Psalter of its time
Munich Golden Psalter
Oxford (United Kingdom) — 1200–1210

Munich Golden Psalter
Oxford (United Kingdom) — 1200–1210
This work is considered to be the most valuable psalter to have been made in any epoch
It is famous for its unusual new style of illumination bridging the Romanesque and Gothic
91 full-page miniatures with gold backgrounds, 24 calendar medallions, historiated initials, and more

Munich Golden Psalter
Historiated “O” Initial
Historiated initials are a prominent feature of Romanesque manuscripts with artists devoting as much energy to their creation as they did to the miniatures. This “O” initial is filled with white lions that run around a mythical creature playing the harp. A drollery with the body of a peacock holds the severed head of a bearded man in its mouth in the upper left corner. This historiated initial is a kaleidoscope of colors and gold leaf with a diamond-patterned background and winding tendrils.
Munich Golden Psalter
- Der Goldene Münchner Psalter
- Goldener Münchner Spalter
- Psautier doré de Munich
Short Description
The Munich Golden Psalter was created at the beginning of the 13th century, presumably by three Oxford book painters. The exceptionally richly illustrated and decorated codex contains numerous miniatures against a gold background, golden written elements, and costly gold initials, as well as countless other decorative elements. The Munich Psalter is especially famous for its unusual new style of illumination, which marks the transition from the Romanesque to the Gothic style.
Munich Golden Psalter
At the end of the 12th century, private devotional books became increasingly popular with the educated upper crust of society. The demand for a psalter was especially great. These were collections of Psalms, which were used daily in mass. Among the numerous psalters of this time, at the beginning of the 13th century, the Munich Golden Psalter is presumed to have been created by three masters from Oxford. This was a work is considered to be the most valuable Psalter to have been made in any epoch due to its exceptionally rich book decoration and its innovative artistic expression. The opulent codex contains 166 pages with 91 whole page miniatures with gold backgrounds, 24 calendar medallions, colorful and gold-decorated initial pictures, as well as colorful trimmed lines on every page. Today this magnificent manuscript is located in the Munich City Library.
A Book Trend of the Middle Ages
As a rule, a psalter contains 150 prayers and hymns, which do not tell any kind of cohesive story but consisted of glorifications of God, entreaties, grievances, and thanks instead. Even today the Psalms are considered to be one of the most important parts of Christian and Jewish liturgy. In the Middle Ages the demand for these easily understandable texts was rapidly rising, these works enjoyed an especially great popularity in England and northern France. The most gifted and well-versed illuminators of this genre came mostly from England. It is presumed that the masters who created the Munich Golden Psalter were three artists from Oxford.
Exceptionally Diverse Book Decoration
In the majority of psalter handbooks the miniatures and picture cycles of the Old and New Testaments are concentrated at the beginning of the work. However, the Munich Golden Psalter was arranged differently. The codex begins with 24 impressive calendar medallions, which are followed by 27 whole page miniatures of Genesis, the story of Joseph, the flight from Egypt, and up to the fall of Jericho**. Finally, 19 pictures of the New Testament thematized the life of Jesus Christ. This cycle ends with depictions of Judgement Day and the torments of hell. This is followed by miniatures that show the various miracles of Jesus, stories from the books of the Old Testament, Ruth, Judith, and Esther are pictorially depicted, as is the life of King David. David is considered to be the creator, which is to say the writer, of a large number of the Psalms. No other Psalter has anywhere near such a wealth of pictures.
New Form of Expression and Ornamentation
The Psalms of the Munich Golden Psalter were decorated in unbounded fantasy with whole page golden figural initials, half page miniature-like initials, multicolored bows and ribbons, and intertwined tendrils. The time of the work’s creation between 1180 and 1220 is considered to be the transitional style of English book painting. Artists at the end of the Romanesque era sought new forms of pictorial expression, but were still somewhat removed from Gothic illumination. Depictions of figures were less expressive. Human bodies were still not precisely portrayed, however attention was now paid to more correct and less exaggerated proportions and posture. Meticulously modeled faces, flowing garments, shading, and color graduationcharacterize the pictures of the Munich Psalter. All of these endeavors by the artists point the way to a new, more natural style of book painting.
Codicology
- Alternative Titles
- Der Goldene Münchner Psalter
Goldener Münchner Spalter
Psautier doré de Munich - Size / Format
- 332 pages / 28.0 x 19.5 cm
- Origin
- Oxford (United Kingdom)
- Date
- 1200–1210
- Epochs
- Style
- Genre
- Language
- Illustrations
- 91 full-page miniatures and 24 calender medallion miniatures
- Artist / School
- Three masters of a workshop in Oxford
- Previous Owners
- Maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria (1573–1651)

Munich Golden Psalter
The Temptation of Christ
After his baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus went to the Judean Desert to fast for 40 days and nights, during which time he was tempted by Satan. This innovative miniature depicts this series of events in a single image contained within a lovely frame of delicate pink and night blue.
The timeless and spaceless effect of the burnished gold background allows the narrative to travel across the page. Starting at the bottom, Satan tempts Jesus by offering to turn stones into bread. Moving up and to the left, we see the temptation on the mountain, where Satan offers Jesus dominion over all earthly kingdoms. The final image at the top shows the temptation on the pinnacle of the temple, resisting Satan once again before being ministered to by angels.
1 available facsimile edition(s) of „Munich Golden Psalter“
Der Goldene Münchner Psalter
- Publisher
- Quaternio Verlag Luzern – Lucerne, 2011
- Limited Edition
- 680 copies
- Binding
- Like the original codex: light-coloured suede with two brass clasps.
- Commentary
-
1 volume by Nigel J. Morgan and Carolin Schreiber
Languages: English, German - More Information
- Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Matching Works
Chludov Psalter
With caricatures against the iconoclasts: a powerful testimony to the struggle of the Byzantine Iconoclasm
Experience MoreIngeborg Psalter
A wedding gift for the Danish princess: golden miniatures in the transition from Romanesque to Gothic for the unfortunate Queen of France
Experience MoreMatching Background Articles
Romanesque
The first international European artistic movement was vigorous, innovative, and yet coherent, seamlessly blending...Experience more13th Century
Despite ongoing religious wars and the threat of Mongol invasion from the East, this is a time of great personalities,...Experience more
- Treatises / Secular Books
- Apocalypses / Beatus
- Astronomy / Astrology
- Bestiaries
- Bibles / Gospels
- Chronicles / History / Law
- Geography / Maps
- Saints' Lives
- Islam / Oriental
- Judaism / Hebrew
- Single Leaf Collections
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Literature / Poetry
- Liturgical Manuscripts
- Medicine / Botany / Alchemy
- Music
- Mythology / Prophecies
- Psalters
- Other Religious Books
- Games / Hunting
- Private Devotion Books
- Other Genres
- Aboca Museum
- Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA)
- Aldo Ausilio Editore - Bottega d’Erasmo
- Alecto Historical Editions
- Ars Magna
- ArtCodex
- AyN Ediciones
- Bärenreiter-Verlag
- Belser Verlag
- Belser Verlag / WK Wertkontor
- Bernardinum Wydawnictwo
- BiblioGemma
- Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vaticanstadt, Vaticanstadt)
- Bibliotheca Palatina Faksimile Verlag
- Bibliotheca Rara
- CAPSA, Ars Scriptoria
- Circulo Cientifico
- Club Bibliófilo Versol
- CM Editores
- Collezione Apocrifa Da Vinci
- Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses
- Coron Verlag
- De Agostini/UTET
- DIAMM
- E. Schreiber Graphische Kunstanstalten
- Ediciones Boreal
- Ediciones Grial
- Edilan
- Editalia
- Edition Leipzig
- Edition Libri Illustri
- Editiones Reales Sitios S. L.
- Editions Medicina Rara
- Editorial Mintzoa
- Egeria, S.L.
- Extraordinary Editions
- Facsimile Editions Ltd.
- Facsimilia Art & Edition Ebert KG
- Faksimile Verlag
- Franco Cosimo Panini Editore
- Fundación Hullera Vasco-Leonesa
- Giunti Editore
- Graffiti
- Grafica European Center of Fine Arts
- Helikon
- Herder Verlag
- Hes & De Graaf Publishers
- Hugo Schmidt Verlag
- Idion Verlag
- Il Bulino, edizioni d'arte
- Imago
- Insel Verlag
- Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani
- Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato
- Johnson Reprint Corporation
- Kaydeda Ediciones
- La Meta Editore
- Leo S. Olschki
- Libreria Musicale Italiana
- Lumen Artis
- M. Moleiro Editor
- Manuscriptum
- Millennium Liber
- Nova Charta
- Orbis Mediaevalis
- Orbis Pictus
- Österreichische Staatsdruckerei
- Patrimonio Ediciones
- PIAF
- Popyläen Verlag
- Prestel Verlag
- Priuli & Verlucca, editori
- Pro Sport Verlag
- Pytheas Books
- Quaternio Verlag Luzern
- Reales Sitios
- Reichert Verlag
- Roberto Vattori Editore
- Salerno Editrice
- Schöck ArtPrint Kft.
- Scrinium
- Scripta Maneant
- Scriptorium
- Siloé, arte y bibliofilia
- Styria Verlag
- Tempus Libri
- Testimonio Compañía Editorial
- The Clear Vue Publishing Partnership Limited
- The Facsimile Codex
- The Folio Society
- Tip.Le.Co
- TouchArt
- Trident Editore
- Vallecchi
- Van Wijnen
- Vicent Garcia Editores
- Wiener Mechitharisten-Congregation (Wien, Österreich)
- Yushodo