The Luttrell Psalter's Visual and Textual Connections
The Luttrell Psalter's visual and textual connections are highlighted in particular by Lucy Freeman Sandler. Within certain ideological, institutional, and liturgical contexts, the figural and ornamental embellishment highlights the message and the picture. The themes of the written text and the images are distinct. For instance, figure 14 is a minor figure used by the author (Sandler 92). An arrow pointing at the word "conspecto" is depicted in the margin image. Conspecto is derived from the verb conspicere, which means "to see." The initial syllable of the word serves as the connection between the arrow's point and the term.
Artistic Use of Visual Syllabification
Inside the side margin of the page, an archer with a longbow strings and arrow, whose tip is poised directly over the syllable "spec" at the end of the line (Sandler 92). The images blend well due to the artistic use of the visual syllabification. The visual syllabification is used in a margin to provide a parallel reading space. The purpose of the art at the margin may be related or sometimes unrelated to the written text.
The Use of Words and Pictures in Medieval
Lucy Freeman uses the structures such as shape and contours of an image to link to the written text. The use of words and pictures in medieval bring out the verbal and pictorial functions. The images and written version complement each other in bringing out the intended meaning of every piece. The word-image antagonism is evidently the norm despite the overlaps between the realms of the verbal and visual in the picture-like words and word-like pictures. The art-like and pictorial component supplements the work giving access to the hidden written and literary work. The marginal figures provide an intensified and heightened reading experience. The reader gets to discover and appreciate the rich content which is concealed in between the words and images.
Work Cited
Sandler Lucy Freeman, “The Word in the Text and the Image in the Margin: The Case of the Luttrell Psalter,” Journal of the Walters Art Gallery 54, (1996): pp. 87-99. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20169111
