Beschreibung:

Master of Philippe of Guelders (fl. 1495-1510) Communion of St Denis, Paris, c.1500 COMMUNION OF ST DENIS, historiated initial 'C' cut from the Gradual of Anne of Brittany and Louis XII [Paris, c.1500] A glittering miniature depicting an unusual subject, cut from the royal Gradual of Anne of Brittany and Louis XII, illuminated by the Master of Philippe of Guelders. 175 x 160mm. The initial 'C' opening the feast for St Denis on October 9 (cropped into the initial frame). Framed. Provenance: The present miniature was likely cut from a sumptuous royal Gradual for the use of the Sainte-Chapelle, made for Anne of Brittany and Louis XII, datable between 1499-1514. Among the surviving sister-cuttings we find a historiated initial 'G' with Louis and Anne receiving the Crown of Thorns (Nantes, Musée Dobrée); a historiated initial 'S' opening the Mass for a Confessor (Maggs, Manuscripts & Illumination); and a border with emblems and an initial 'A' (Les Enluminures). Illumination: Identified by John Plummer and named after a Grande Vie de Jesus Christ painted for Philippe of Guelders, wife of René II de Lorraine (Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon Ms 5125), the Master of Philippe of Guelders worked on a large number of important royal commissions in Paris and northern France at the turn of the 16th century. His style is influenced by Jean Colombe and the Master of Spencer 6, and is characterised by wide-eyed figures with round faces, long noses and small, red mouths. His palette is intense: as in the present miniature, we see a liberal use of strong blues and golds, maroons and greens.