Warburg Rosarium: a sublime example of Simon Bening's later work

Simon Bening, Bruges, after 1530

This work is now sold. This slim, luxury Rosary offers an intriguing mystery. With no clues as to its first owner, the stunning manuscript contains 11 full-page miniatures each opposite a text page with a full border. However, the text remains unfinished. The miniatures feature scenes from the story of salvation, while the borders, completed mostly in the typical Flemish style, contain flowers, insects, birds, and other animals on liquid gold, executed in a trompe-l’œil style. The outstanding and mature quality of the illuminations within the book indicate that they were completed by Bening himself, late in his career, most likely in the 1530s.

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Illuminated manuscript on vellum.
Red morocco binding of the 18th century over cardboard, with gilt stamping, covers framed with a twisted ribbon, roses in each corner and in the centre, spine with floral gilding, tie lost.

144 x 103 mm, 3 + 11 + 4 leaves, 11 full-page miniatures, 11 recto pages surrounded by full-page borders

236

of 257

A first-class and wonderfully preserved example of Bening’s illumination

Overview

Our mysterious and rare Rosary was illuminated by the illustrious Simon Bening, one of the most remarkable Flemish artists of the early 16^th century. As one of only four known Rosaries completed by Bening, the eleven miniatures within this codex represent an extraordinary example of the illuminator’s work. The incredibly vibrant and delicate miniatures feature scenes from the story of salvation, which, had the Rosary been completed, would have accompanied corresponding text dictating the prayers of the joyful, the sorrowful, and the glorious rosary. Although the book offers no clues to its original owner, Bening likely completed this precious Rosary for a member of the upper echelons of society. He created luxury objects for a small circle of prestigious international patrons, including Emperor Charles V, the Infante of Portugal (Don Fernando), and Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg.

The precise and evocative miniatures are characteristic of Bening’s work, showcasing his ability to render exquisite landscapes, as well as emotive figures. Throughout the illuminations, he creates atmospheric landscapes filled with majestic hills and subtle architectural and vegetal details. These carefully constructed settings are layered with Bening’s rich narrative scenes, where his ability to capture emotive figures is on full display. This talent can be seen in the red eyes and tearstained faces of St. John and the Virgin in the Crucifixion miniature (f. 8v), as well as the beautifully aged face of Elizabeth in the Flight into Egypt (f. 4v). One of the most stunning and unique aspects of this manuscript, however, is the image of the Salvator mundi that appears on the first folio. Shown in strict profile and holding a transparent sphere, the portrait is rendered in beautifully elegant grisaille, not typical in manuscript illumination of the time. The miniature is superb, with aspects, such as the rays that emanate from Christ’s head, heightened and emphasized in gold.

Naturalistic trompe-l’œil blossoms, plants, insects, birds, and animals, typical of the Ghent-Bruges style, appear in the borders of the pages facing the miniatures, juxtaposed against a brilliant ground of liquid gold. Bening expertly simulates real objects with by rendering cast shadows of the items within the borders, creating a true “trick of the eye”. Altogether, the vivid and dynamic miniatures, along with the precise borders, indicate a fully developed painterly style, making this incredible manuscript a first-class example of Bening’s late work.

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