The small map (17 cm x 12.5 cm) is incredibly finely detailed and was drawn around 1270; the artist is unknown. The map is divided into three main parts that are intended to show the whole of the universe. The upper area shows Christ as a figure of salvation, with arms outstretched. Christ exist above the world that humans naturally inhabit. However, the second part of this image the map itself or the world. An important distinction here is Christ is not separate from the world, but his body is the world. The map is a "history projected on a geographical basis" therefore the map highlights important areas of Christ's life and influences. The map itself annotates 91 named locations. Many if not most of the named locations on the psalter map is associated to a psalm in the text itself.
Provenance The origin of this mappa mundi is relatively unknown but there is much debate surrounding its importance. The Map Psalter was created between 1262-1280. This is due to a calendar page highlighting the canonization of
Richard de Wych in 1262. The Map Psalter is unlikely to have been created after 1280 due to the lack of acknowledgement to the sainthood one of translators of
St. Hugh of Lincoln in 1280. There is no explicit text in the Map Psalter that exactly pinpoint a place of production, but there are a few hints as to where it could have been made. It is confirmed that the
Sarum Master, illuminators based out of
Salisbury, made the
Stockholm Psalter. Of which the Map Psalter share many similar illustrations and are stylistically similar. This comes in the form of similar foliage ornamentation, liberal use of color, facial type, and strongly delineated black lines. Further the Office of the Dead tend to be very region specific text. The Map Psalter's Office of the Dead is only one word different from the standard Sarum Masters' Office of the Dead. Another idea is the Map Psalter is of
Westminster provenance due to tinting of the pages sharing similarities to Morgan Apocalypse. The Map Psalter is similar in nature to two other mappae mundi thought to be produced in the middle ages as well, the
Hereford mappa mundi and the
Ebstorf mappa mundi. All three mappae mundi are said to reflect a master mappa mundi, of which one was known to exist in the great hall of
Westminster Palace commissioned by
Henry the III. but there is little to suggest this other than similarities to the great hall map.
Possession While the specific origin and original owner(s) of the Map Psalter is unknown, there are a few named owners during the 16th century. On f. 18r "Mary Wyndham" is written in 16th century hand. Also on f. 225v "Anne my eldeast doughter was borne the xiiij day of July in the yere of our lorde God 1557" written in 16th century hand. There are more additions in a later hand on f. 1r, alphabetizing some of the psalms. The binding on the Map Psalter currently is from J. Clarke after 1600. Later Henry D. Jones placed his armorial bookplate in the upper binding. Henry sold the Map Psalter to the British Museum on the 5th of April 1871. == Notable iconography ==