Illuminated manuscripts are among the more intimate works of art surviving from the medieval period. The Queen Mary Psalter (c. 1316?-21) has long been recognized as one of the most outstanding English Gothic manuscripts. Its devotional texts are framed by an encyclopedic series of narrative images painted in a delicate and courtly style. The psalms are introduced by an Old Testament preface in which tinted drawings are explained by French captions. The psalm decoration incorp. a combination of framed illuminations of the life of Christ at the beginnings of important psalms, and tinted drawings in the bottom margin of every page that tell stories ranging from the bestiary to the lives of the saints. Winner of the 2000 Millennium Award. 100+ illus.