Gilbert of Poitiers (d. 1154), or Gilbert de la Porrée, was a French scholar and theologian, who lectured at the schools of Paris and Chartres and subsequently became bishop of Poitiers in 1142. He was the author of several important commentaries on biblical and late Antique texts, including Boethius’ Opuscula sacra (Sacred works).
Copied in Chartres during the first half of the 12th century, this manuscript contains Gilbert’s commentary on the book of Psalms. It opens with a large decorated initial, containing a portrait of King David playing a harp. The biblical text appears in larger letters in the left-hand column, while the commentary is written in a denser, smaller script alongside it. A Greek text of the Psalms was added in the lower margin by the Italian humanist Zomino of Pistoia (b. 1387, d. 1458) during the early 15th century.
This manuscript was digitised with the support of The Polonsky Foundation.
Public Domain in most countries other than the UK.
Manuscripts containing commentaries on the book of Psalms were widely circulated during the medieval period. Tuija Ainonen and Kathleen Doyle examine some of these glossed volumes.
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