The Macclesfield Master
Artists
The Macclesfield Master designed the overall decorative programme and supplied most of the pictorial contents. Figures displaying a range of emotions and convincing depictions of the human body are characteristic of his style. He painted the full-page miniatures of St Edmund of Bury and St Andrew; an image of Christ as Judge; all but one of the historiated initials; most of the busts and profiles inside other Psalm initials; most of the borders (including figural decoration) and almost all of the bas-de-page scenes.
Historiated initial Q: Doeg killing the priests of Nob (Psalm 51)
This historiated initial continues the story depicted in the initial for Psalm 38 (fol. 58r). Dressed in bright red hose and a blue tunic, Doeg, wielding a gigantic sword, prepares to behead the high priest, Achimelech, as his fellow priests beg for mercy. The initial extends into a full bar border with a bas-de-page scene of a snail and knight in combat, a squirrel, and a man tumbling from a tree. Knights are often pictured in conflict with snails in bas-de-page scenes, a motif that conveyed multiple messages, including wry comments on nationality, gender, sexuality and social status.