Master of Jacques de Besançon, Paris, c.1490

Burial scene, miniature from a Book of Hours, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Paris, c.1490]

A polished, glittering example of the work of the Master of Jacques de Besançon, also known as François le Berbier fils, one of the dominant illuminators in Paris in the second half of the 15th century.

c.165 x 110mm. The miniature within a full border inhabited with birds opening the Office of the Dead in a Book of Hours, verso with 15 lines of text within a full border, 6 small illuminated initials, illuminated line-fillers (a few small smudges to the miniature, but in excellent condition). Mounted and framed.

Illumination:
The prevalent style of illumination in Paris in the second half of the 15th century can be traced through the work of three successive illuminators: the Master of Jean Rolin, Maître François and the Master of Jacques de Besançon (see Avril & Reynaud, Les manuscrits à peintures en France, 1993, pp.38-52 and 256-262). Alongside a prolific and more routine output, most of the prestigious commissions from the court and leading ecclesiastics were fulfilled by this trio. On the basis of the close correspondence of archival evidence with the attributed oeuvres of Maître François and the Master of Jacques de Besançon, their identification as the father and son illuminators, both named François le Berbier, has been generally accepted: see M. Deldicque, ‘L’enluminure à Paris à la fin du XVe siècle: Maître François, le Maître de Jacques de Besançon et Jacques de Besançon identifiés’, Revue de l’Art, 2014, pp.9-18.