Title: Saint Maurice, Historiated Initial of the Letter V, Cira 1500, France. Illuminated Manuscript By a Painter Known for Celebrated Royal Commissions including the Gradual of Louis XII
Author: Workshop of the Master of Philippa of Guelders
Condition: Very Good
A beautifully illuminated historiated initial depicting Saint Maurice in the Letter ‘V’, produced in Paris, France, around the beginning of the 16th century.
The initial is painted in blue and ornamented with white geometric patterns and penwork embellishments on a gold background, and the initial depicts Saint Maurice in full armor on horseback, bearing a banner emblazoned with a cross and riding through a landscape.
The initial was extracted from the Sanctorale of a large Choir Book and may have formed the incipit for the responsory Viri sancti gloriosum sanguinem fuderunt pro Domino Jesu Christo—a chant that opened the Office of Saint Maurice and his companions (September 22). Rubrics or marginal notes are not extant on the fragment. Saint Maurice, a Roman legion commander martyred for his faith, was a popular military patron saint, especially in France and Paris, where he was venerated as a model of Christian knighthood and steadfast loyalty under persecution.
The Master of Philippa of Guelders (sometimes written Philippe)—to whom this cutting is attributed—was a prolific illuminator active in the Duchy of Lorraine and Paris at the turn of the sixteenth century. Identified and named by John Plummer after a Grande Vie de Jésus Christ created for Duchess Philippa of Guelders (Lyon, Bibliothèque Municipale, MS 5125), this artist completed numerous high-profile commissions for both ducal and royal patrons. His style shows the influence of Jean Colombe and the Master of Spencer 6, yet retains distinct hallmarks: densely packed compositions, short, stocky figure proportions, and facial features rendered with a single thin stroke for brows and lids, as well as combed hair accented with gold highlights. His palette is striking, marked by a liberal use of strong blues and golds, deep maroons, and greens. In addition to ducal projects in Lorraine, the Master of Philippa of Guelders contributed to major royal commissions in Paris and northern France at the turn of the century, including the famed Choir Book of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany (now dispersed). The present cutting’s refined figure style and vibrant palette closely parallel illuminations from that manuscript, firmly situating it within the corpus of this artist’s work.
One illuminated manuscript on parchment, 9.6 x 11.1
This manuscript is in very good shape, with minor rubbing to some high points. The verso of the initial is largely obscured by a pastedown from a previous frame mount.