This manuscript contains the second half of the fifth book of the Roman de Perceforest, an anonymous and extremely rare chivalric text. It is one of the most extensive and remarkable of the later Arthurian tales, a work that perpetuates the fundamental principles of 14-century chivalry. The author of Perceforest incorporated elements from the romances of Alexander, ancient Roman chronicles, and medieval travel narratives, along with oral traditions. Woven together, they tell the prehistory of King Arthur's Britain. The romance is immensely long, and each one of Perceforests six parts is the length of a substantial novel. The only complete surviving manuscript of the Perceforest was commissioned by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, who was the godfather of Philippa of Lorraine, the patron of this tome.
Philippa of Guelders, an exceptionally educated bibliophile, commissioned the Perceforest as a piece of educational literature for her son Antoine of Lorraine, which was one in a set of manuscripts that included translations of classical and literary texts by Plutarch among others. The selection of these texts offers a fascinating look at what was considered an appropriate education for a presumptive ruler.
The tome features 7 exceptionally large, half-page illuminations and 6 small, one-column wide miniatures. All illuminated pages have wide and colorful painted borders. These illuminations are by Jean Coene IV, who frequently worked for Parisian print shops as an illuminator of wood- and metal-cuts. He belonged to a dynasty of illuminators from Flanders who settled in France in the late 14th century and was also part of Jean Pichore’s network, who was an illuminator, publisher and illustrator of printed books.
Blue, red, and green dominate this artist's palette, creating a rich visual tapestry. Each scene is framed by architectural borders in liquid gold, a design feature primarily associated with printed Hours produced after 1500. The cycle of miniatures in this tome depicts scenes from the beginning of the six final tournaments at the shepherd’s springs, the Tournoi de la Fontaine aux Pastourelles, showing beautiful moments of valor and strength - qualities that a well-educated future duke would have to embody.
