Illuminated letter D from Lincoln Cathedral manuscript MS30

This letter is reproduced from the twelfth century Petrus Lombardus in Psalterium f.202. David is seated on the left, holding a sceptre in his right hand and a model of the temple in his left; on the right is the Lord, crowning David with his right hand, in his left a book, a dragon beneath his feet.

The image is painted with pigments that would have been available at the time the manuscript was produced – lapis lazuli, raw umber, burnt sienna, terra verte and black. The 24 carat gold square ground is hand embossed with a stamp created by the artist.