Lot Essay
PROVENANCE: The calendar in French is very full without any particular localization; it does, however, contain St. Omer and his translation pointing to use in the Franco-Flemish border region.
TEXT: Calendar (ff 1-12): Gospel Sequences (f.13v); Obsecro te (f.19), O intemerata (f.23); Hours of the Virgin, Matins (f.26v), Lauds (f.36v), Prime (f.48), Terce (f.52v), Sext (f.56), None (f.59), Vespers (f.62v), Compline (f.69); Psalms for day of the week and short hours for Advent; Hours of the Cross (f.90v); Office of the Dead (f.96v, first quire misbound); Penitential Psalms (f.104v); Prayers including 'Septem verbis domini' and the seven verses of St. Bernard (f.148); Suffrages (f.170-184)
DECORATION: At least three of the five full-page miniatures, and most of the smaller ones, can certainly be attributed to Jean Poyet, one of the most famous painters of his day, particularly for his use of perspective, who worked extensively for the French royal family. John Plummer in The Last Flowering page 87, lists the most important manuscripts known to be by this artist, stating 'Poyet's miniatures are often large in scale, and even when they are not they have a breadth of composition, an intricacy of design, and a multi-figured complexity suggesting that the artist may also have painted panels'. The miniatures in this volume may be compared to Poyet's finest work, both for composition and delicate portraiture and expression. The present manuscript is an hitherto unrecorded addition to the corpus of Poyet's work, the only other one to have appeared for sale recently was the Pierre-Louis de Valtan manuscript (lot 3359 in the Bradley Martin sale, Sotheby's New York, 14 June 1990).
THE MINIATURE ON F.96 APPEARS TO BE SIGNED BY THE ARTIST, JOHN OF TOURS.
THE SUBJECTS OF THE FULL-PAGE MINIATURES ARE:
f.13 St. John on Patmos, stony rocks rising from the blue sea, within narrow golden renaissance-style frame containing putti and dragons (outer margin of frame cropped and lightly rubbed)
f.26 Annunciation, within narrow gold renaissance-style border, containing six angels playing musical instruments
f.90 Crucifixion, with Mary Magdalene, her face hidden behind the Cross, her arms encircling the Cross, many soldiers at back, within architectural border (head of border cropped and outer margins rubbed). This is not by Poyet but by an associate.
f.96 Job, seated on a dungheap, with his three rich friends standing, in gold frame surround (very lightly rubbed, head of frame cropped). The gold collar of one of the robes appears to be inscribed in red capitals 'loan. Turns', possibly standing for Johannes Turnensis, the name of the artist. Such inscriptions are usually difficult to decipher, but if this reading is accepted, it would make this manuscript the only signed work by this important artist.
f.102 Bathsheba bathing in a golden fountain, David and his companions gazing at her from the palace windows; within gold frame border (outer margin lightly rubbed). Probably only partly in Poyet's hand.
THE SUBJECTS OF THE SMALLER MINIATURES ARE:
F.15 ST. LUKE (45 X 43 MM)
F.16V ST. MATTHEW, WITH ANGEL (52 X 48 MM)
F.18 ST. MARK WRITING (52 X 45 MM)
F.19 VIRGO LACTANS, ON GOLD GROUND (42 X 45 MM)
F.23 VIRGIN AND JOHN THE BAPTIST AT FOOT OF THE CROSS (50 X 45 MM)
F.36V VISITATION, SHOWING ONLY HALF-LENGTH VIRGIN AND HEAD OF ELIZABETH, GOLDEN-GREEN ROCKS BEHIND (52 X 47 MM)
F.48 NATIVITIY, VIRGIN AND CHILD, JOSEPH'S FACE AT BACK (54 X 45 MM)
F.52V ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEPHERDS, A GROUP OF SHEPHERDS IN BROWN ROBES HOLDING STAVES (46 X 45 MM)
F.56 ADORATION OF THE MAGI, IN THE FOREGROUND THE HEAD OF A WHITE-HAIRED BEARDED KING, WITH VIRGIN AND CHILD (53 X 45 MM)
F.59 PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE (53 X 45 MM)
F.62 MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS, A SOLDIER TEARING A CHILD FROM THE WOMAN'S ARM (54 X 47 MM)
F.69 CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN, TWO ANGELS PLACING THE CROWN (52 X 47 MM)
F.177 ST. ANNE TEACHING THE VIRGIN TO READ (40 X 45 MM)
F.178 MARY MAGDALENE (45 X 45 MM)
F.178 ST. CATHERINE WITH CROWN AND SWORD (48 X 45 MM)
F.179 ST. MARGARET PRAYING (50 X 45 MM)
F.180 ST. APPOLONIA, HOLDING A TOOTH WITH PINCERS (48 X 45 MM)
TEXT: Calendar (ff 1-12): Gospel Sequences (f.13v); Obsecro te (f.19), O intemerata (f.23); Hours of the Virgin, Matins (f.26v), Lauds (f.36v), Prime (f.48), Terce (f.52v), Sext (f.56), None (f.59), Vespers (f.62v), Compline (f.69); Psalms for day of the week and short hours for Advent; Hours of the Cross (f.90v); Office of the Dead (f.96v, first quire misbound); Penitential Psalms (f.104v); Prayers including 'Septem verbis domini' and the seven verses of St. Bernard (f.148); Suffrages (f.170-184)
DECORATION: At least three of the five full-page miniatures, and most of the smaller ones, can certainly be attributed to Jean Poyet, one of the most famous painters of his day, particularly for his use of perspective, who worked extensively for the French royal family. John Plummer in The Last Flowering page 87, lists the most important manuscripts known to be by this artist, stating 'Poyet's miniatures are often large in scale, and even when they are not they have a breadth of composition, an intricacy of design, and a multi-figured complexity suggesting that the artist may also have painted panels'. The miniatures in this volume may be compared to Poyet's finest work, both for composition and delicate portraiture and expression. The present manuscript is an hitherto unrecorded addition to the corpus of Poyet's work, the only other one to have appeared for sale recently was the Pierre-Louis de Valtan manuscript (lot 3359 in the Bradley Martin sale, Sotheby's New York, 14 June 1990).
THE MINIATURE ON F.96 APPEARS TO BE SIGNED BY THE ARTIST, JOHN OF TOURS.
THE SUBJECTS OF THE FULL-PAGE MINIATURES ARE:
f.13 St. John on Patmos, stony rocks rising from the blue sea, within narrow golden renaissance-style frame containing putti and dragons (outer margin of frame cropped and lightly rubbed)
f.26 Annunciation, within narrow gold renaissance-style border, containing six angels playing musical instruments
f.90 Crucifixion, with Mary Magdalene, her face hidden behind the Cross, her arms encircling the Cross, many soldiers at back, within architectural border (head of border cropped and outer margins rubbed). This is not by Poyet but by an associate.
f.96 Job, seated on a dungheap, with his three rich friends standing, in gold frame surround (very lightly rubbed, head of frame cropped). The gold collar of one of the robes appears to be inscribed in red capitals 'loan. Turns', possibly standing for Johannes Turnensis, the name of the artist. Such inscriptions are usually difficult to decipher, but if this reading is accepted, it would make this manuscript the only signed work by this important artist.
f.102 Bathsheba bathing in a golden fountain, David and his companions gazing at her from the palace windows; within gold frame border (outer margin lightly rubbed). Probably only partly in Poyet's hand.
THE SUBJECTS OF THE SMALLER MINIATURES ARE:
F.15 ST. LUKE (45 X 43 MM)
F.16V ST. MATTHEW, WITH ANGEL (52 X 48 MM)
F.18 ST. MARK WRITING (52 X 45 MM)
F.19 VIRGO LACTANS, ON GOLD GROUND (42 X 45 MM)
F.23 VIRGIN AND JOHN THE BAPTIST AT FOOT OF THE CROSS (50 X 45 MM)
F.36V VISITATION, SHOWING ONLY HALF-LENGTH VIRGIN AND HEAD OF ELIZABETH, GOLDEN-GREEN ROCKS BEHIND (52 X 47 MM)
F.48 NATIVITIY, VIRGIN AND CHILD, JOSEPH'S FACE AT BACK (54 X 45 MM)
F.52V ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEPHERDS, A GROUP OF SHEPHERDS IN BROWN ROBES HOLDING STAVES (46 X 45 MM)
F.56 ADORATION OF THE MAGI, IN THE FOREGROUND THE HEAD OF A WHITE-HAIRED BEARDED KING, WITH VIRGIN AND CHILD (53 X 45 MM)
F.59 PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE (53 X 45 MM)
F.62 MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS, A SOLDIER TEARING A CHILD FROM THE WOMAN'S ARM (54 X 47 MM)
F.69 CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN, TWO ANGELS PLACING THE CROWN (52 X 47 MM)
F.177 ST. ANNE TEACHING THE VIRGIN TO READ (40 X 45 MM)
F.178 MARY MAGDALENE (45 X 45 MM)
F.178 ST. CATHERINE WITH CROWN AND SWORD (48 X 45 MM)
F.179 ST. MARGARET PRAYING (50 X 45 MM)
F.180 ST. APPOLONIA, HOLDING A TOOTH WITH PINCERS (48 X 45 MM)