Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy was a cornerstone of medieval intellectual life, shaping thought alongside Saint Augustine’s Confessions . Written during Boethius’s imprisonment for treason, the text is a dialogue between the author and Philosophy, personified as a crowned lady.
They explore themes like the problem of evil, free will versus divine providence, and the unpredictable nature of Fortune. This philosophical work became widely popular in late medieval aristocratic circles, especially through an
anonymous French translation attributed to Jean de Meung.
This manuscript of the Consolation contains six paintings by the renowned French illuminator Jean Colombe, from his early career in the 1460s. Colombe’s vibrant style, influenced by artists such as the Master of Charles de France, reflects his growing talent. His work flourished under patrons like Charlotte of Savoy and Anne of Beaujeu. Although we do not know who commissioned the Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy , the importance of figures such as Jean Coeur, Tanguy du Chastel and Pierre Milet, who commissioned books from Jean Colombe in the same period, indicates that the illuminator already had a good reputation in Bourges and around the court. The commissioner of our Boethius was certainly a person of the same rank.
This manuscript, comparable to his first known work, remains in exceptional condition.
