Psalter Map, 1260

Map Details

Introduction

A tiny map of the world that puts religious belief as geographic fact

The Psalter Map is one of the best surviving examples of a medieval mappa mundi. It is an illustrated map of the world, barely 10cm across and drawn on animal skin, bound into a tiny book of prayers.

Typical of medieval maps, the earth is drawn as a round disc, split into the three landmasses of Asia, Europe and Africa. East is placed at the top of the map, which is a religious convention.

The map is a blend of biblical belief and medieval myth. And, although there is some sense of geography, the primary aim of the map was to help its exclusive readership find their way to heaven.

Important features are highlighted with a red ink, such as the Red Sea, Jerusalem and the orb that Christ holds in his hand. Gold-leaf paint is also used to add value to other features of note.

Some experts believe this Psalter illumination is based on a map that hung in the bedroom of Henry III, at Westminster Palace, 50 years before. The person who created this map, however, remains a mystery.

Psalter Map is part of The British Library collection

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Map Highlights

Body of Christ

Jesus holds the whole world in his hands

Religion is the most prominent feature of this map, and Christ takes centre stage. He is painted wearing a red cloak, with a glittering gold leaf halo around his head.

In his left hand, the figure is holding the world - represented here by the TO-shaped orb. This outline reflects the shape of the earth as understood in the 13th century. A blessing is performed with the other hand - a traditional image of love and peace.

Two censing angels flank Christ in a pose reminiscent of the English coronation. This suggests that the king ruled by divine appointment.

Below Christ is the eastern wind with its waters flowing into the Garden of Eden. Here, Adam and Eve are seen either side of the Tree of Knowledge, with the forbidden fruit visible in its branches.
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Medieval View

Jerusalen is found at the centre of this biblical world

The earth is drawn as a flat round disc, but medieval mapmakers knew it was spherical. They drew it in this way to make it easier to understand.

Jerusalem is placed at the centre of the world. It is painted in red to highlight its significance as the place where Jesus lived, taught and died. A keen observer might also be able to spot the Christian capitals of Rome and Constantinople elsewhere on the map.

The green tree-like structure reaching halfway up the disc, is the Mediterranean Sea, which splits the earth into the three landmasses of Asia, Europe and Africa.

Twelve winds line the outer rim of the world. This is an example of classical decoration, rather than a biblical reference.
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Gog and Magog

An apocalyptic story from the Old Testament

Confined by the impenetrable wall of the Caucasus Mountains is the Land of the Unclean, home to one of the most apocalyptic stories of the Old Testament.

This feature foretells of a future invasion of Israel by Gog and Magog. The gate, seen at the bottom of the mountain range, is intended to restrain the terrible tribes. But for the medieval reader, it is also a visual reminder that the tribes would eventually break out, and that invasion was inevitable.

Directly below, marooned between two mountain peaks, is Noah’s Ark. Its placement has a special significance, as it was after the flood that Noah divided the landmasses of Asia, Europe and Africa between his three sons. This informs the shape of the world and the ark is always included as a visual reference to this.
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The Red Sea

The power of God is seen in the parting of these waters

The large red cone is the Red Sea. The literal colouring highlights its biblical significance and sets it apart from other seas and rivers, which are painted in green and blue.

Near its peak, at the bottom, a dry passage cuts though the water. This is a visual retelling of the Book of Exodus from the Old Testament, where Moses parted the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to escape from the Egyptian army.

To the left of the image, above the city of Jerusalem, is the Sea of Galilee with the rivers of Jor and Dan flowing into it. In the water, there is a fish: the Christian emblem of Christ. In this context, it may allude to the feeding of the five thousand.
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Monstrous Races

A fear of the unknown shown through mutated men

In Africa, trapped by the thin blue line of the River Nile and the unknown outer sea (painted green), we encounter 14 humanoid creatures.

These ‘monstrous races’ were first described in Pliny’s Natural Histories, and their inclusion suggests that human understanding of far and distant lands had evolved little since the 1st century.

Each of these animal-human hybrids is unique: some are completely headless, and others have their eyes set in their chests. They are deliberately clustered at the Earth’s fringes, at the maximum distance from the Holy City of Jerusalem.
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Dragons of Hell

Two evil spirits lie in waiting at the gates of hell

The furthest point from heaven is found at the bottom of the map. Here two dragons guard the gates of hell.

These reptilian creatures are in fact wyverns, symbols of medieval heraldry, and considered to be the embodiment of an evil spirit. They allude to hell and the threat of the Devil.

This image is a direct reference to a passage in the Bible, which reads: “And the dragon shalt thou trample underfoot” (Psalm 91.13).

On the reverse of the original map there is another illustration, where Christ’s feet rest heavily on the dragons’ heads.

The wyvern tails are curled and split into three-leaf plants, or trefoils. These are a common feature of Christian iconography and represent the Holy Trinity: the union of the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost.
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