The Hours of Philip the Bold
Gradual Psalms
Texts and Images
The fifteen Gradual Psalms (119-133), the Old Testament songs probably chanted by pilgrims as they climbed the steps to the Temple of Jerusalem, were recited as medieval prayers of spiritual ascent. The first of them, Psalm 119, has a small image of Philip the Bold at the foot of a staircase leading to an altar. The remaining Gradual Psalms open with ornamental initials.
Philip the Bold kneeling before steps leading to an altar (Gradual Psalms)
This page was illuminated by the Master of the Grandes Heures. The steps represent the Gradual Psalms, prayers of spiritual ascent, while the Crucifix on the altar is the focal point of the patron’s devotion.