Master of Philippe of Guelders (fl. 1495-1510) - photo 1
Master of Philippe of Guelders (fl. 1495-1510) - photo 2
Master of Philippe of Guelders (fl. 1495-1510) - photo 3

Master of Philippe of Guelders (fl. 1495-1510)

Lot 27
12.07.2023 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 10 080
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 993348
Lot 27 | Master of Philippe of Guelders (fl. 1495-1510)
Estimate value
£ 7 000 – 10 000
Master of Philippe of Guelders (fl. 1495-1510)

David and Goliath, historiated initial ‘B’ from the Gradual of Anne of Brittany and Louis XII, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Paris, c.1500]

A splendid, large survival from the royal Gradual of Anne of Brittany and Louis XII, illuminated by the Master of Philippe of Guelders.



352 x 292mm., a cutting of an initial ‘B’, for Psalm 1, ‘Beatus vir’, Goliath in the foreground, in golden armour, falling to the ground as he is struck on the forehead with a stone, David wielding his sling on the far side of a rocky path, sheep at his feet, an army encamped in the background, all within a floral border, one illuminated initial 'S', 10 fragmentary lines of text, 1 of which with music on a red-line stave, verso with 12 lines of text, 3 penwork initials and one rubric in red (a light crease in the foreground, and light rubbing in the sky, but generally in fine condition). Mounted and framed (the mount cropped to the miniature only).



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); a border with emblems and an initial 'A' (Les Enluminures); and an initial 'C' with the Communion of St Denis sold at Christie's, 9 December 2020, lot 7.



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.

Place of origin:Western Europe, France, Europe
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
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12.07.2023 – 12.07.2023
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