Differences in palette
Artists' Materials
Despite the overall homogeneity of the palette, a few differences are apparent between the pigments favoured by different artists. Notably, Hand A did not use vermilion, which other artists mixed in some of the ‘rusty’ red draperies and which Hand B also used to paint red highlights on the cheeks of his figures. Hand B used ultramarine for shading white areas, while Hand C shaded them with indigo. Hand D used a mixture of ultramarine, organic red and lead white, shaded with indigo, to obtain a purple-grey colour which sets him apart from his colleagues.
David and Bathsheba (Psalm 1)
The full-page Beatus initial contains the opening words of Psalm 1 written in gold on the right. In the upper bowl of the B, David peeps through a window in his castle, watching the bathing Bathsheba. Below, he kneels before God, repenting for his adultery. This image, painted by Hand B, and the almost identical Beatus initial in the Psalter of St Louis (Paris, BnF, MS lat. 10525, fol. 85v) are the only known examples of this subject appearing at Psalm 1.