Book of Hours, possibly use of Paris,
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the an artist from the surroundings of the Talbot Master with added miniatures by a Parisian artist around 1490.
Paris, c. 1420-1430.
Book of Hours, possibly use of Paris,
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the an artist from the surroundings of the Talbot Master with added miniatures by a Parisian artist around 1490.
Paris, c. 1420-1430.
Book of Hours, possibly use of Paris,
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the an artist from the surroundings of the Talbot Master with added miniatures by a Parisian artist around 1490.
Paris, c. 1420-1430.
Book of Hours, possibly use of Paris,
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the an artist from the surroundings of the Talbot Master with added miniatures by a Parisian artist around 1490.
Paris, c. 1420-1430.
Book of Hours, possibly use of Paris,
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the an artist from the surroundings of the Talbot Master with added miniatures by a Parisian artist around 1490.
Paris, c. 1420-1430.
Book of Hours, possibly use of Paris,
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the an artist from the surroundings of the Talbot Master with added miniatures by a Parisian artist around 1490.
Paris, c. 1420-1430.
The original miniature cycle of this exquisite prayer book was executed by a Master stylistically associated with the Talbot Master, but who Gregory Clark identifies as a Follower of the Gingins Last Judgement Master, after a Book of Hours for Jean de Gingins.
The Gingins Followers' miniatures here are quite homogenous in style. The faces of the figures are delicately outlined and are smooth and serene for female saints and angels. While the faces of male and elderly figures, for instance the apostles, shepherds, or the chanting monks in the funeral service, are more expressive. Their postures are rather rigid, which is exemplary for the Talbot Master’s approach.
Interestingly, the illuminator avoided portraying interiors: even the Annunciation – a typical indoor event in medieval painting – here takes place partly inside a chapel, where Mary kneels before her lectern, and partly outside, where Gabriel advances from a garden.
The border decoration surrounding the miniatures helps date the manuscript: the advanced development of the acanthus ornament suggests an origin in the third decade of the 15th century, probably between 1420-1430, and thus before the artist’s move to Rouen.
The later miniatures were likely added to the manuscript to either replace lost miniatures or modernize the manuscript according to the style of the late 15th century. Recalling the style of the Master of the Cardinal of Bourbon, the illuminator was clearly a Parisian painter and apparently inspired by unusual topics from printed Books of Hours, such as the Corpse that drags the Pope by his robe.
The architectural frames he uses also directly derive from the printed illustration series, where integrated frames were frequently used. In addition to these, the images are surrounded by conventional border decoration with acanthus and floral decoration. These four miniatures may have been executed between 1480 and 1500.
