Masters of the Beady Eyes - photo 1
Masters of the Beady Eyes - photo 2
Masters of the Beady Eyes - photo 3
Masters of the Beady Eyes - photo 4

Masters of the Beady Eyes

Lot 29
10.07.2024 10:30UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 7 560
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 1249801
Lot 29 | Masters of the Beady Eyes
Estimate value
£ 6 000 – 9 000
Masters of the Beady Eyes
Book of Hours, use of Thérouanne, in Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Thérouanne, c.1460s]
An attractive Book of Hours made for the use of Thérouanne, illuminated by the Masters of the Beady Eyes.

180 x 130mm. i(vellum) + 53 leaves + i(vellum), modern pencil foliation, collation: 16, 2-38, 47(of 8, v excised), 58, 64, 78, 84 (of 6, v cancelled, vi pastedown), vellum endpapers from a legal document in French with date 1664, prickings visible in outer margins, 15 or 16 lines, rubrics in red, versal initials in alternate red or blue, two-line initials of burnished gold on red and blue grounds with white decoration, six similar large initials with three-quarter borders, one large initial on burnished gold ground with full border, large arch-topped miniature above initial with full-page border (signs of wear, repaired tear and loss to f.1, a few wormholes to first and final leaves, lacking a leaf with initial after f.26, some smudging and rubbing to miniature with slight retouching likely). Near-contemporary binding of calf over bevelled wooden boards, panelled in blind with fleur-de-lys stamps (rebacked, marks from original clasps and catches, now lacking).

Provenance:
(1) The liturgical use is for the diocese of Thérouanne, with the dedication of its cathedral included in red in the calendar on 16 October (‘le dedicasse de leglis nostre dame de tewane’) and relevant saints, St Omer, bishop of Thérouanne (9 September), St Maximus (27 November, and on dates for the finding, showing and translation of his relics). Sts Omer and Maximus appear again in the litany which also includes St Humphrey (9th-century bishop of Thérouanne). This medieval city in the county of Artois, belonging to the County of Flanders, was completely destroyed on the orders of Emperor Charles V in 1553 and the diocese abolished in 1557. A contemporary inscription partially visible in the margin of the Psalms on f.45v, may be a request for prayers for ‘framezelles’. Traces of early use include the imprint from a pilgrim badge once sewn onto the first leaf of the calendar, sewing holes on f.41v and offsets from an image once kept between ff.39 and 40.

(2) Sotheby’s, 5 December 1989, lot 112 and 6 December 2001, lot 83.

Content:
Calendar, in French f.1-6v; Office of the Virgin, use of Thérouanne, ff.7-41: matins f.7, lauds f.15v, prime (lacking end) f.23v, terce (lacking opening) f.27, sext f.28v, none f.31, vespers f.33, compline f.38; Penitential Psalms and Litany ff.42-53v.

Illumination:
The attractive borders and stylistic features of the Annunciation miniature, with its chequered floor, silvered latticed windows, textile hanging and distinctive palette of red and blue, are characteristic of the style associated with the Masters of the Beady Eyes (Maîtres des yeux bridés). Named after a distinctive linear manner of indicating eyes, this group of illuminators were active mainly in Ghent in the third quarter of the 15th century. They followed the style of the Masters of the Gold Scrolls who had dominated manuscript illumination in Bruges from the 1410s to the 1450s. The composition and setting is closely comparable to the Annunciation miniature in a Book of Hours sold in these salerooms, 4 June 2008, lot 46.
Place of origin:Western Europe, France, Europe
Auction house category:Books and manuscripts
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
10.07.2024 – 10.07.2024
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
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