picture data:

Image 651 (This image by courtesy of Sotheby's) From the recently rediscovered Macclesfield Psalter (c.1320-30), probably from Gorleston, Norfolk, and closely related to the Gorleston Psalter. This lavishly decorated leaf contains the opening of Psalm 97, 'Cantate Domino'('O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things'). The historiated initial depicts the Annunciation to the Shepherds. To the left: the angel bearing a scroll and announcing the birth of Christ to three shepherds, one of whom is playing a set of bagpipes while the other two lean on their staffs. Their dog looks round - not surprisingly, since the angel seems to be treading on its tail. A small flock of three sheep graze the hillside, together with a goat who nibbles among the leaves of a small tree. Top left border: an angel musician plays with a bow on a stringed instrument; below, in a roundel, a woman's head in profile. Across the top of the initial: a bat-winged grotesque, with two large bearded human faces at each end, which grips firmly on to the plant stems of the initial with two human hands. At the bottom of the page: a youthful courting couple - suggestively, his sword projects horizontally, even if rearwards.

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