The Macclesfield Psalter
Painting the flesh
Artists' Techniques
Flesh tones contain mostly lead white, with occasional additions of small amounts of earth pigments and red lead. Some figures, like the wild man (fol. 58r) and St John the Baptist (fol. 133r) have green or blue flesh tones, obtained with verdigris and indigo respectively.
Historiated initial D: King David, a fool, and two men conversing (Psalm 52)
The initial, which has sustained damage to the painted surface, extends into a full bar border incorporating human heads within medallions, a hunter with a hawk and a musician playing a citole. A farmer ploughs with a pair of horses in the bas-de-page. The ploughing scene, a stock motif, is found in several contemporary English Psalters.