When we consider the past we see it as the dark ages when there were no computers, knowledge of science and other such rustic themes. Yet, once in a while a creation is seen that puts all our ideas about the past to shame. The Utrecht Psalter is one such book. The book written in Reims c.820 is an amazing rendition of illustrative themes of the psalms. Not a few psalms but each individual one!
The illustrations within the book are a vision of wonder and color. Originally. It is remarkable for the psalms were in one color only but sometime in the 11th century monks of the Christ Church updated the script and colored the drawings so that today we see the Utrecht as a liturgical book written in Roman Rustic style with the script of display being Artificial Uncial. [TWYCROSS, 1998]

It is suggested that the Utrecht Psalter was rescripted during Ebbo’s archbishopric at Reims. It was at this time that the Carolingian style became popular. Ebbo became the successor of Charlemagne, in 1841 and later became the Archbishop of Reims. Ebbo was always one who upheld literary beliefs and techniques and this led him to establish a scriptorium at the Abbey at Hautvillers where he resided.
He supported the belief that art had to have a supportive role in the Christian truths and with the h He was knowledgeable about art and the supportive role that Charlemagne intended for art as an expression of Christian truths. With the help of artists he began to illustrate the Carolingian manuscripts including the Utrecht Psalter. When we study the style of the book we see the energy of Ebbo that was derived from the classical Byzantine methods, elaborated through the passion and spirit of the Frank barbarians and finally depicted through simple Christian truth.
What we see in the Utrecht Psalter is the ability of the artists to present the passion they felt for religion and the spirituality that was made a trademark of the characters presented as divine. The distinctive style that characterized the illustrations of the book were popular at the time and made even more popular by Ebbo, The figures and landscapes are given a life of their own and the repetitive lines allow the strokes to become alive and create an animated style that would become popular during impressionism.

While we do not know when the Utrecht Psalter was rendered it is this book that became the stylistic example for all others. Within it we see that the Psalms of David are presented differently in that they are quite simple. Without textual and illustrative separation the pictures become simple and casual. The drawings are simple sketches of the theme and show a precise methodology to its lines.

The story of the psalms is illustrated through extremely vivid images which are made dramatic to become a tale in themselves. It seems like a theatrical presentation within the pages of the book especially since the landscapes are as much a part of the story as the characters varying from the architectural depictions of the homes, to the hills where they are shown. While the basis of the illustrations remains Hellenistic the style itself is unique. [Horst, 1996]

The largeness of the size and the script suggests that the Utrecht Psalter was originally intended to be used for the choir as monks would stand together and chant from the same book. The manner of its text and the repetitive recitations also suggests that the book would have been used as an introduction to Latin for the men destined to lead a monastic life.

The Utrecht Psalter is generally regarded as the first major, and certainly most influential, manuscript in the outline style. The psalter was one of the most important liturgical service books of the Church and one of the most widely owned private books, containing principally the Psalms, and occasionally other texts such as calendars, creeds, and litanies of the Saints. [Snyder, 1989]

In design the Utrecht contains one hundred eight folia with the complete Psalms, the Lord's Prayer, and two creeds. The theme for each psalm is illustrated as we see for Psalm 11, the phrase "the wicked walk round about" shown through a group of people standing at a turnstile. The presentation is fluid as the images are projected not at the borders but throughout the whole page. [Diringer, 1955]
Exactly when this was written and the time of development is still unknown, the facts related to the book have been derived through a study of the times rather than of fact and thus most of the theories relating to its history and existence are deliberations and speculations made through research and comparisons.