Illuminated Christian Manuscript
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Manuscript Paleography Ancient Germany Flemish art
Chronology : 1500-1519
See also : Manuscript Paleography Ancient Germany Flemish art
Chronology : 1500-1519
< 835 Gospel of Queen Theutberga
2015 SOLD for £ 2M by Christie's
The Christian texts, mainly Gospel books and sacramentaries, were copied by scribes for being used by bishops and abbeys. Desiring to match the luxury and reputation of Constantinople, Charlemagne conducted political reforms that offered a considerable originality in terms of culture.
Unlike their predecessors the Merovingians, the Carolingians did not neglect the role of the Church. The creation of a religious teaching in 789 clearly identified its purpose to combat ignorance and had as a direct consequence an increase in the activity of the copyists.
Metz is not far from Aachen, and Charlemagne created in that city one of his imperial necropoles. The place that included many abbeys became an important intellectual center. Drogo, an illegitimate son of Charlemagne, became bishop of Metz in 823. His masterpiece, unfinished at his death in 855, is an illuminated book of prayers.
For several centuries, the Gospel books included the four Gospels with prefaces and comments, preceded by a Canon table for the concordance between the texts and followed by a capitulary with the list of celebrations. The four elements of the Canon table are separated within an arched portico lavishly painted.
On July 15, 2015, Christie's sold for £ 2M from a lower estimate of £ 1M a remarkably complete manuscript on vellum in very good condition, known as the Gospels of Queen Theutberga, lot 20.
This book was made in the early ninth century, most likely in Metz. Despite the luxury scripts, it does not include decorative initials, increasing its presumption of a very ancient execution. The list of celebrations do not mention the feast of All Saints which became an obligation of the official liturgy in 835.
Unlike their predecessors the Merovingians, the Carolingians did not neglect the role of the Church. The creation of a religious teaching in 789 clearly identified its purpose to combat ignorance and had as a direct consequence an increase in the activity of the copyists.
Metz is not far from Aachen, and Charlemagne created in that city one of his imperial necropoles. The place that included many abbeys became an important intellectual center. Drogo, an illegitimate son of Charlemagne, became bishop of Metz in 823. His masterpiece, unfinished at his death in 855, is an illuminated book of prayers.
For several centuries, the Gospel books included the four Gospels with prefaces and comments, preceded by a Canon table for the concordance between the texts and followed by a capitulary with the list of celebrations. The four elements of the Canon table are separated within an arched portico lavishly painted.
On July 15, 2015, Christie's sold for £ 2M from a lower estimate of £ 1M a remarkably complete manuscript on vellum in very good condition, known as the Gospels of Queen Theutberga, lot 20.
This book was made in the early ninth century, most likely in Metz. Despite the luxury scripts, it does not include decorative initials, increasing its presumption of a very ancient execution. The list of celebrations do not mention the feast of All Saints which became an obligation of the official liturgy in 835.
July 15: #Gospels of Queen Theutberga [#Metz, c.825-850]. One of the best-preserved 9th-C. #manuscripts in existence. pic.twitter.com/IKj8b3I2GG
— Christie's Books (@ChristiesBKS) June 2, 2015
1188 The Gospels of Henry the Lion
1983 SOLD for £ 8.1M by Sotheby's
The princes want to deserve and earn the eternal life. Henry the Lion, of the Welf dynasty, was one of the most powerful. Accumulating several legacies, he was Duke of Bavaria and of Saxony and his territory extended from the Baltic Sea to the Alps. His capital was in Brunswick (Braunschweig) and he founded, among others, Munich and Lübeck. He was stripped of his titles in 1180 for refusing to second the emperor Frederick Barbarossa.
Henry was a benefactor of Brunswick Cathedral, which he had built from 1173 and where he is buried. His gospel book is a very luxurious manuscript prepared for the consecration of the altar of the Virgin Mary in 1188 in that cathedral.
This book is a codex of 266 sheets of parchment 34 x 25 cm, including 50 full-page illustrations as well as historiated initials. It shows in a logical sequence the career of the duke protected by Christ and the saints, including for example his wedding and his coronation. Phylactery explanations complement the images, making it possible to identify the highly important imperial and ducal characters of his family.
The work was prepared at the Benedictine Abbey in Helmarshausen and the scribe identified his name. The script is a modified Caroline minuscule that anticipates the Gothic. The illustrations in bright colors are composed on the principle of the rejection of blank (horror vacui) while keeping a great readability. The image shared by Wikimedia gives the example of a page.
This masterpiece of the Romanesque illumination has remained intact. It was sold on December 6, 1983 by Sotheby's for £ 8.1M, an all-categories record at that time for an artwork at auction. Considered in Germany as a national treasure, it was bought at that sale by a consortium including the government, the provinces of Lower Saxony and Bavaria and public and private donors.
Henry was a benefactor of Brunswick Cathedral, which he had built from 1173 and where he is buried. His gospel book is a very luxurious manuscript prepared for the consecration of the altar of the Virgin Mary in 1188 in that cathedral.
This book is a codex of 266 sheets of parchment 34 x 25 cm, including 50 full-page illustrations as well as historiated initials. It shows in a logical sequence the career of the duke protected by Christ and the saints, including for example his wedding and his coronation. Phylactery explanations complement the images, making it possible to identify the highly important imperial and ducal characters of his family.
The work was prepared at the Benedictine Abbey in Helmarshausen and the scribe identified his name. The script is a modified Caroline minuscule that anticipates the Gothic. The illustrations in bright colors are composed on the principle of the rejection of blank (horror vacui) while keeping a great readability. The image shared by Wikimedia gives the example of a page.
This masterpiece of the Romanesque illumination has remained intact. It was sold on December 6, 1983 by Sotheby's for £ 8.1M, an all-categories record at that time for an artwork at auction. Considered in Germany as a national treasure, it was bought at that sale by a consortium including the government, the provinces of Lower Saxony and Bavaria and public and private donors.
early 14th century Breviary
2008 SOLD for € 1.77 M€ by Thierry de Maigret
In the West, manuscripts decorated with paintings, "illuminated", are developing in the thirteenth century. Armenian manuscripts had preceded them. The letters starting the chapters are decorated (they are called lettrine) and more or less large paintings in relation to the text are present throughout the manuscript.
A breviary executed at the beginning of the fourteenth century was sold for € 1.77M by Thierry de Maigret on November 18, 2008, lot 2.
Its 527 sheets of parchment in octavo (127 x 195 mm) are decorated with 115 miniatures and many lettrines. The text is divided into two columns, according to the fashion of the time. This volume has remained in its binding of the fifteenth century, and the catalog says that it is in a condition of great freshness despite some reported defects (including wear on page corners).
A breviary executed at the beginning of the fourteenth century was sold for € 1.77M by Thierry de Maigret on November 18, 2008, lot 2.
Its 527 sheets of parchment in octavo (127 x 195 mm) are decorated with 115 miniatures and many lettrines. The text is divided into two columns, according to the fashion of the time. This volume has remained in its binding of the fifteenth century, and the catalog says that it is in a condition of great freshness despite some reported defects (including wear on page corners).
masterpiece
1370 Bréviaire à l'usage de la Sainte-Chapelle
BnF
masterpiece
1411-1416 Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry
Musée Condé, Chantilly
See dedicated page in Wikipedia.
The month Janvier is shared by Wikimedia, amidst other selected illustrations. It features the duc seated at the served table surrounded by courtiers and attendants.
The month Janvier is shared by Wikimedia, amidst other selected illustrations. It features the duc seated at the served table surrounded by courtiers and attendants.
1440 Livre d'Heures
2021 SOLD for $ 3.6M by Christie's
On April 23, 2021, Christie's auctioned the collection of illuminated manuscripts and incunabula of Elaine and Alexandre Rosenberg.
A book of hours made around 1440 was sold for $ 3.6M from a lower estimate of $ 1.5M, lot 3. It is complete and its freshness is intact, with varied and saturated colors.
The book consists of 189 leaves of vellum 21 x 15 cm including 16 large miniatures with foliate borders enhanced with gold and silver, plus 12 small miniatures illustrating the occupations of the months. The tweets below show an example of each type. The pleasant illustration includes angels, exotic animals and monsters.
The texts are in Latin and French, with illuminated initials throughout the volume. The list of saints establishes that the book is for the use of Paris. For January 27, the name of Julien, first bishop of Le Mans, appears in gold letters.
The specialists look for the similarities between the manuscripts to establish a corpus of the best workshops. The craftsman who produced this manuscript is currently identified as the Master of the Paris Bartholomeus Anglicus by reference to a translated version of a work by this author. The hypothesis of a realization by a workshop in the service of the duc d'Anjou is correlated by a similarity with almost caricatural portraits of the Dukes of Anjou for the cathedral of Le Mans.
A book of hours made around 1440 was sold for $ 3.6M from a lower estimate of $ 1.5M, lot 3. It is complete and its freshness is intact, with varied and saturated colors.
The book consists of 189 leaves of vellum 21 x 15 cm including 16 large miniatures with foliate borders enhanced with gold and silver, plus 12 small miniatures illustrating the occupations of the months. The tweets below show an example of each type. The pleasant illustration includes angels, exotic animals and monsters.
The texts are in Latin and French, with illuminated initials throughout the volume. The list of saints establishes that the book is for the use of Paris. For January 27, the name of Julien, first bishop of Le Mans, appears in gold letters.
The specialists look for the similarities between the manuscripts to establish a corpus of the best workshops. The craftsman who produced this manuscript is currently identified as the Master of the Paris Bartholomeus Anglicus by reference to a translated version of a work by this author. The hypothesis of a realization by a workshop in the service of the duc d'Anjou is correlated by a similarity with almost caricatural portraits of the Dukes of Anjou for the cathedral of Le Mans.
#AuctionUpdate Book of Hours illuminated by the highly sought-after Master of the Paris Bartholomeus Anglicus achieved $3,630,000. pic.twitter.com/OLKuJoAI4u
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) April 23, 2021
Happy #ManuscriptMonday! Please enjoy an inspirational (?) image for your week from a Rosenberg Collection Book of Hours, created in Le Mans or Angers c.1440s pic.twitter.com/9HiEOiD4bW
— Christie's Books (@ChristiesBKS) March 15, 2021
1440 Livre d'Heures attributed to the Bedford Master
2012 SOLD for € 2M by Millon
The atmosphere is weird in Paris after the death of Charles VI in 1422. The new king of France is the infant Henry VI of England who of course does not reside in that city, and the regency is entrusted to his uncle the Duke of Bedford.
Throughout Europe the princes are competing in luxury and commission to the most skilled artists the illuminated books, the great art of that time gloriously promoted by the duc de Berry who had died in 1416.
From 1409 to the 1430s, the leading (and probably unique at some time) Parisian illumination workshop is led the Master of the Bedford Hours so called by reference to his main patron.
An illuminated manuscript made in Paris, certainly in the workshop of the Bedford Master, was sold for € 2M by Millon on April 27, 2012, lot 147, no more accessible in the online catalogue.
It is a book of hours in Latin and French for the use of Paris. It consists of 265 vellum folios 22 x 16 cm, mostly in-octavo. Its illustrations include but are not limited to 22 nearly full page arch topped paintings in three side frames. The text is carefully line ended and ruled. Eight of the twelve calendar pages and three folios that probably supported large miniatures are missing.
The sumptuous models by the Bedford Master had been transmitted to his joint successors whose hand is recognizable in the manuscript for sale : they are the Dunois Master and the Master of the Munich Golden Legend. Such attributions enable to date that work from around 1440.
Throughout Europe the princes are competing in luxury and commission to the most skilled artists the illuminated books, the great art of that time gloriously promoted by the duc de Berry who had died in 1416.
From 1409 to the 1430s, the leading (and probably unique at some time) Parisian illumination workshop is led the Master of the Bedford Hours so called by reference to his main patron.
An illuminated manuscript made in Paris, certainly in the workshop of the Bedford Master, was sold for € 2M by Millon on April 27, 2012, lot 147, no more accessible in the online catalogue.
It is a book of hours in Latin and French for the use of Paris. It consists of 265 vellum folios 22 x 16 cm, mostly in-octavo. Its illustrations include but are not limited to 22 nearly full page arch topped paintings in three side frames. The text is carefully line ended and ruled. Eight of the twelve calendar pages and three folios that probably supported large miniatures are missing.
The sumptuous models by the Bedford Master had been transmitted to his joint successors whose hand is recognizable in the manuscript for sale : they are the Dunois Master and the Master of the Munich Golden Legend. Such attributions enable to date that work from around 1440.
The glorious #HachetteHours, for sale on July 13: https://t.co/g2F2I2ySVv pic.twitter.com/PVKLKTYu8C
— Christie's Books (@ChristiesBKS) June 21, 2016
1470 Livre d'Heures attributed to Jean Colombe
2023 SOLD for € 1.73M by Auction Art Rémy Le Fur
The printed book powerfully contributed to the dissemination of knowledge, but it could not really compete with the illuminated manuscripts, contrary to what Gutenberg had wanted.
Commissioned by the wealthiest clients, the manuscripts are not designed as multiples. The overall plan defining the texts and illustrations was not proposed by a project manager but specified by the patron, which is the only plausible explanation for the variety of religious or secular themes executed in the same workshop. They were unique works of art of the greatest refinement, the realization of which often required the participation of several masters.
Painter, illuminator, decorator, Jean Fouquet was born and established in Tours. The books of hours attributed to his workshop are characterized by their layout of text and miniatures, perfect clarity of imaging, balanced geometric compositions.
Several workshops are installed in Bourges, the capital of the duché de Berry, in frequent collaboration with the workshops of Fouquet and later Poyer which was also in Tours, 160 km away.
Left unfinished by Fouquet, the so named Heures de Jean Robertet for the use of Rome were continued from 1470 by Jean Colombe, born and established in Bourges.
A book of hours for the use of Paris has been influenced by the style of Fouquet and may be attributed to Colombe around the same time as the example above. Traditionally connected to Philippe de Commynes after a wrong interpretation of a coat of arms, its original owner is now identified as the bishop of Béziers, Jean Bureau.
It is made of 232 parchment folios written in Latin and French and includes 37 full page miniatures and more than 400 smaller illustrations. Two positions for additional full page miniatures have been left unfilled.
This book in superb condition and colors in a 17th century binding was sold for € 1.73M from a lower estimate of € 800K by Auction Art Rémy Le Fur on November 14, 2023, lot 88 illustrated by ActuaLitté in a post sale report.
The completion in 1485 and 1486 in Bourges by Jean Colombe of the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, which had been left unfinished at the death of the duke in 1416, brings to this famous manuscript a conjunction of all styles of illuminations : Flemish, Italian and French.
Commissioned by the wealthiest clients, the manuscripts are not designed as multiples. The overall plan defining the texts and illustrations was not proposed by a project manager but specified by the patron, which is the only plausible explanation for the variety of religious or secular themes executed in the same workshop. They were unique works of art of the greatest refinement, the realization of which often required the participation of several masters.
Painter, illuminator, decorator, Jean Fouquet was born and established in Tours. The books of hours attributed to his workshop are characterized by their layout of text and miniatures, perfect clarity of imaging, balanced geometric compositions.
Several workshops are installed in Bourges, the capital of the duché de Berry, in frequent collaboration with the workshops of Fouquet and later Poyer which was also in Tours, 160 km away.
Left unfinished by Fouquet, the so named Heures de Jean Robertet for the use of Rome were continued from 1470 by Jean Colombe, born and established in Bourges.
A book of hours for the use of Paris has been influenced by the style of Fouquet and may be attributed to Colombe around the same time as the example above. Traditionally connected to Philippe de Commynes after a wrong interpretation of a coat of arms, its original owner is now identified as the bishop of Béziers, Jean Bureau.
It is made of 232 parchment folios written in Latin and French and includes 37 full page miniatures and more than 400 smaller illustrations. Two positions for additional full page miniatures have been left unfilled.
This book in superb condition and colors in a 17th century binding was sold for € 1.73M from a lower estimate of € 800K by Auction Art Rémy Le Fur on November 14, 2023, lot 88 illustrated by ActuaLitté in a post sale report.
The completion in 1485 and 1486 in Bourges by Jean Colombe of the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, which had been left unfinished at the death of the duke in 1416, brings to this famous manuscript a conjunction of all styles of illuminations : Flemish, Italian and French.
Ce livre d'heures exceptionnel du XVe siècle attribué à l'artiste enlumineur Jean Colombe est à découvrir chez @auctionartparis le mardi 14 Novembre à l’Hôtel Drouot □ pic.twitter.com/QZeSu3zLbj
— Drouot (@Drouot) November 2, 2023
1471-1476 Sforza's Great Hours
2018 SOLD for € 2.2M by OVA Aristophil
Francesco Sforza was a very successful condottiere who managed to establish his dynasty in Milan in succession to the Visconti whose heiress he married. His son Galeazzo Maria succeeded him as Duke of Milan in 1466, aged 22.
Galeazzo Maria Sforza was a true prince of the Renaissance, altogether humanistic and perverse. He early deserved his reputation for lust and sadism. At the same time the best musicians were coming in his ducal chapel to sing and compose masses and motets.
A large size illuminated manuscript made for the young Duke was sold for £ 1.22M iby Christie's on July 6, 2011 and for € 2.2M by OVA Aristophil operated by Aguttes on June 16, 2018, lot 22.
This very large book 35 x 24 cm could be read on a lectern in a chapel. The luxurious layout is of a great originality. The illuminations are from the hand of an artist identified as the Maestro d'Ippolita after a work done in 1465 for the wedding of Ippolita Sforza.
These Sforza's Great Hours for the use of Rome are mainly dedicated to the Virgin, in Latin with a few minor texts in Italian. The ducal emblems and monograms displayed in various parts of the book assess that its magnificence is intended for Duke Galeazzo Maria himself.
One page refers to Sixtus IV, allowing to date the book between the election of this pope in 1471 and the murder of Galeazzo Maria in 1476.
Galeazzo Maria Sforza was a true prince of the Renaissance, altogether humanistic and perverse. He early deserved his reputation for lust and sadism. At the same time the best musicians were coming in his ducal chapel to sing and compose masses and motets.
A large size illuminated manuscript made for the young Duke was sold for £ 1.22M iby Christie's on July 6, 2011 and for € 2.2M by OVA Aristophil operated by Aguttes on June 16, 2018, lot 22.
This very large book 35 x 24 cm could be read on a lectern in a chapel. The luxurious layout is of a great originality. The illuminations are from the hand of an artist identified as the Maestro d'Ippolita after a work done in 1465 for the wedding of Ippolita Sforza.
These Sforza's Great Hours for the use of Rome are mainly dedicated to the Virgin, in Latin with a few minor texts in Italian. The ducal emblems and monograms displayed in various parts of the book assess that its magnificence is intended for Duke Galeazzo Maria himself.
One page refers to Sixtus IV, allowing to date the book between the election of this pope in 1471 and the murder of Galeazzo Maria in 1476.
La session estivale des ventes #Aristophil débute le 16 juin à 14h30 chez @Aguttes_ @Drouot. Entre les lettres de Marie de Médicis et François Ier, on retrouvera le chef-d’oeuvre d’enluminures « Les Grandes Heures de Galeazzo Maria Sforza » https://t.co/AjQQY7hdck pic.twitter.com/TYZkERxWg0
— AuctionLab (@byAuctionLab) June 5, 2018
1495 Livre d'Heures by Poyer
2018 SOLD for € 4.3M by OVA Aristophil
At the time of Jean Fouquet, Tours is the great French artistic center, appreciated and encouraged by the kings and queens of France. The death of Fouquet circa 1480 does not stop the activity. The later illuminators have not signed their works but their names surface through very rare documents : Jean Bourdichon, Jean Poyer.
A handwritten book of hours for the use of Rome including in its calendar several saints from Tours was sold for € 2.35M by Gros et Delettrez on April 8, 2011 in the auction of the Weiller collection. It was sold for € 4.3M by Aguttes for OVA Aristophil at Paris Hôtel Drouot on June 16, 2018, lot 21.
This small book 23 x 14 cm is composed of 44 sheets. Sixteen circular miniatures 65 mm in diameter in shades of gold embellished with colors are front side and back side in the center of eight of these sheets. In the same position the other sheets are hollowed, providing the reader with a permanent consultation of the image related to the liturgical chapter which he is consulting.
This system is almost unique. Another example illustrated in losanges is also known, perhaps by the same workshop. A close look at the tweet below shows that the miniatures therein are viewed through one or two hollowed pages. The text is written in two columns to avoid the interruption of sentences by images and holes.
This book was made in the last phase of the illuminators when the workshops continued to provide luxury productions competing with printed books. It is associated with other opus attributed to Poyer.
In a poem written in 1504 by the chronicler Lemaire de Belges, Jean Poyer is quoted among the deceased artists. The catalog of the Weiller collection dated this book of hours between 1500 and 1510. The date around 1495 suggested in the OVA Aristophil catalog is plausible. The book is referred as the Petau Hours so named after a former owner.
A handwritten book of hours for the use of Rome including in its calendar several saints from Tours was sold for € 2.35M by Gros et Delettrez on April 8, 2011 in the auction of the Weiller collection. It was sold for € 4.3M by Aguttes for OVA Aristophil at Paris Hôtel Drouot on June 16, 2018, lot 21.
This small book 23 x 14 cm is composed of 44 sheets. Sixteen circular miniatures 65 mm in diameter in shades of gold embellished with colors are front side and back side in the center of eight of these sheets. In the same position the other sheets are hollowed, providing the reader with a permanent consultation of the image related to the liturgical chapter which he is consulting.
This system is almost unique. Another example illustrated in losanges is also known, perhaps by the same workshop. A close look at the tweet below shows that the miniatures therein are viewed through one or two hollowed pages. The text is written in two columns to avoid the interruption of sentences by images and holes.
This book was made in the last phase of the illuminators when the workshops continued to provide luxury productions competing with printed books. It is associated with other opus attributed to Poyer.
In a poem written in 1504 by the chronicler Lemaire de Belges, Jean Poyer is quoted among the deceased artists. The catalog of the Weiller collection dated this book of hours between 1500 and 1510. The date around 1495 suggested in the OVA Aristophil catalog is plausible. The book is referred as the Petau Hours so named after a former owner.
Three extra French auctioneers are to assist in the mammoth disposal of the Aristophil collections of historic manuscripts:https://t.co/ASOXq4iDq3 (?) pic.twitter.com/Jl7IlET312
— AntiquesTradeGazette (@ATG_Editorial) May 14, 2018
1505 The Rothschild Prayerbook
2014 SOLD for $ 13.6M by Christie's
The printed book cannot claim to achieve the beauty of illuminated manuscripts. Under the Habsburgs, the best Flemish painters illustrate books of great luxury. They have not revealed all their secrets : the artists did not sign and the sponsors are not identified.
One of these masterpieces is known as the Rothschild Prayerbook. It was sold by Christie's for £ 8.6M on July 8, 1999 and for $ 13.6M on January 29, 2014. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
It is a book of hours for the use of Rome (meaning that is based on Roman liturgy), made around 1505 in Ghent or Bruges. In a small format 23 x 16 cm, this book with 252 leaves in luxurious vellum includes 67 large illustrations.
From an iconographic point of view, it is a fabulous collection of religious and liturgical scenes, showing in very fresh colors the life and customs of its time. Decorative borders offer an extended variety of topics.
The styles of these images clearly show that several workshops have co-operated, and comparison with other manuscripts and paintings can identify that it was made by the most renowned artists of their time. Their co-operation in such collective artworks was an extraordinary and unique business of which no direct witnessing has surfaced.
The main illustrators of the Rothschild Prayerbook were Gerard Horenbout who worked at Ghent and Alexander Bening, a member of the guilds of Bruges and Ghent. Simon Bening, son of Alexander, to whom a few images are attributed, will be the last great Flemish illuminator. The style of Gerard David, the leading painter in Bruges at that time, is recognized on several images.
One of these masterpieces is known as the Rothschild Prayerbook. It was sold by Christie's for £ 8.6M on July 8, 1999 and for $ 13.6M on January 29, 2014. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
It is a book of hours for the use of Rome (meaning that is based on Roman liturgy), made around 1505 in Ghent or Bruges. In a small format 23 x 16 cm, this book with 252 leaves in luxurious vellum includes 67 large illustrations.
From an iconographic point of view, it is a fabulous collection of religious and liturgical scenes, showing in very fresh colors the life and customs of its time. Decorative borders offer an extended variety of topics.
The styles of these images clearly show that several workshops have co-operated, and comparison with other manuscripts and paintings can identify that it was made by the most renowned artists of their time. Their co-operation in such collective artworks was an extraordinary and unique business of which no direct witnessing has surfaced.
The main illustrators of the Rothschild Prayerbook were Gerard Horenbout who worked at Ghent and Alexander Bening, a member of the guilds of Bruges and Ghent. Simon Bening, son of Alexander, to whom a few images are attributed, will be the last great Flemish illuminator. The style of Gerard David, the leading painter in Bruges at that time, is recognized on several images.
A very #MerryChristmas to all. Here’s a stunning #nativity scene from the #RothschildPrayerbook! pic.twitter.com/RIVYbiXLjC
— Christie's Books (@ChristiesBKS) December 25, 20151511 Prayer Book by Bening
2011 SOLD for £ 1.6M by Christie's
At the time when the printed book was generalized and incunabula are already in the past, some wealthy patrons are still requiring illuminated manuscripts. The last great illuminator was Simon Bening, a Flemish artist working in Antwerp.
Heir to the centuries-old tradition of illuminators, Bening is also influenced by the trends of his time, especially for the treatment of the landscape and the introduction of insects in trompe-l'oeil into floral borders.
A prayer book was made by Bening in 1511 for a wealthy merchant of Nuremberg. Very small, 90 x 62 mm, the manuscript on vellum of nearly 350 pages is lavishly illustrated with religious scenes of which eleven are in full page. The text is in Latin and Dutch. It was sold for £ 1.6M by Christie's on July 6, 2011.
Heir to the centuries-old tradition of illuminators, Bening is also influenced by the trends of his time, especially for the treatment of the landscape and the introduction of insects in trompe-l'oeil into floral borders.
A prayer book was made by Bening in 1511 for a wealthy merchant of Nuremberg. Very small, 90 x 62 mm, the manuscript on vellum of nearly 350 pages is lavishly illustrated with religious scenes of which eleven are in full page. The text is in Latin and Dutch. It was sold for £ 1.6M by Christie's on July 6, 2011.
