Anonymous French artist
ST LOUIS ADORED BY A BENEDICTINE, initial ‘G’ from a choirbook [northern France, 1st half 16th century]
An intriguing initial formed from a dragon, a snake and a fool, probably derived from a printed pattern, containing a kneeling Benedictine monk adoring the sainted King Louis IX of France (d. 1270).

The Saint holds the three nails that fastened Christ to the Cross, an evocation of the Passion relics he brought back to France from his crusading venture. The initial probably opened the antiphon for vespers of the Saint’s feast in an antiphonal made for a Benedictine Abbey, which was apparently keen to express its loyalty to the French crown. St Louis’ features echo those of François I (ruled 1515-1547), if his distinctive nose had been idealised, and perhaps more so those of his son Henri II (ruled 1547-1559). This is probably a deliberate continuation of the century-old tradition of giving the sainted Louis IX (d. 1270) the appearance of his reigning descendant. His clothes, however, combine a French regal mantle, crown and sceptre with a tunic and boots inspired by antiquity: investing the French monarch with the prestige of imperial Rome was an iconographic convention developed under François I who favoured Italian Renaissance art.

The illuminator has much in common with the Master of the Passion Scenes of Marie d’Haplaincourt, active in Picardy c. 1520-1550, named from an independent illumination in the Musée lorrrain in Nancy (see the entry by François Avril in Les enluminures du Louvre, Paris 2011, no 149). This initial, however, is painted in a more elaborate technique, with a landscape of greater detail and refinement than is evident in the more schematic renderings of the Passion Scenes Master.

Large choirbooks, intended for lecterns where they would be shared by several singers, continued to be produced in manuscript well into the 18th century. Their size and musical notation made them less easy to print and a hand-written volume could be tailored to the needs of an individual church.

Provenance:
•Presumably from a northern French Benedictine Abbey.
•Private collection, London.

131 x 136 mm. Vellum, stamped later above the initial ST LOUIS ROI DE FRANCE (obscured by mount); 4-line music stave in red with words written in a Gothic bookhand on verso. Mounted.

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