February, In The Calendar Of A Psalter Preceded By Miniatures And A Calendar

Oxford University came into being gradually, around the year 1200, and a community of book-makers were soon established in the town, centred around the Catte Street and St. Mary's Church. Documentary records suggest that these book-makers not only provided students with the necessary textbooks, but also specialised in meeting the needs of the luxury market: a disproportionately large number of illuminators are recorded. This psalter is probably one of their products: the calendar and litany include three entries for St. Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford. As usual in luxury Psalters, each month of the calendar is illustrated with a sign of zodiac and the 'Occupation of the Month': in this case, Pisces, the fish, and a man warming his feet by a fire. About half-way down the page, in blue (two lines above St. Valentine, on 14 Feb.), is the feast of the Translation of St. Frideswide, a feastday that would not have been celebrated much outside Oxford.