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R E C E N T A C Q U I S I T I O N S
JEAN MANSEL. Fleur des Histoires. Flanders (probably Bruges, c. 1475). Illuminated manuscript on vellum with 17 (8 very large) miniatures by the Master of Anton of Burgundy and workshop.
A majestic chronicle of Belgium from the second half of the fifteenth century. This is the only independent copy of the “Chroniques” known in private ownership. Jean Mansel abbreviated the text of Jean Wauquelin’s History of Hainaut (Henegouw) for his „Fleurs des Histoires“ in 1446-1451. Independent copies of this text have previously passed unrecognized. This unique manuscript is illuminated by the Master of Anton of Burgundy, its 17 marvelous miniatures rank among the best achievements of the Master who was active in Bruges in the 1470s and 1480s. His work attracted some of the greatest bibliophiles in the Netherlands among them Louis of Gruuthuse and the “Great” Bâtard de Bourgogne. The sumptuous manuscript was no doubt commissioned by a high ranking noble at the Burgundian Court. From the prestigious collections of Beriah Botfield and the Marquess of Bath. Large manuscript chronicles are very rarely seen on the art market, as almost all surviving copies have found their way to public collections. GUILLAUME DE DIGULLEVILLE. Pèlerinage de la Vie Humaine et Pèlerinage de l’Ame. Paris, c. 1440. Illuminated manuscript on vellum with 201 miniatures (!), including frontispieces by the workshop of the Master of the Munich Golden Legend and 196 column-wide miniatures by the Master of Étienne Sauderat.
A spectacular manuscript with a wealth of beautiful illustrations. The “Pèlerinage” of Guillaume de Digulleville (d. 1358) is one of the most influential French vernacular texts of the later Middle Ages. The vast poem was first composed in 1330 and was revised in 1355 when the author added about 5.000 lines. Our manuscript contains the very rare expanded version, and is apparently the only illustrated copy in private hands (of the five copies known four belong to the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris). The volume has the extraordinary total of 201 miniatures, the majority of them by the Master of Estienne Sauderat, the most extensive cycle of illustrations by this prestigious artist. |
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