Master of the Brussels initials

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The master of the Brussels initials ( it. Maestro delle Iniziali di Bruxelles) is a medieval illuminator who was active from around 1390 to 1415. The artist, who is not known by name, gets his emergency name from fifteen initials that he contributed to a book of hours ; this book of 276 pages can be found today in the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels. It is believed that the book of hours was commissioned by Jean de Valois, duc de Berry and is identical to a work included in the count's inventory lists in 1402.

The master of the Brussels initials probably worked mainly in Bologna in Italy and possibly also born there in Italy. However, some of the works ascribed to him come from the area around Paris in France, where he probably stayed from 1400 to 1408. Even if not exactly verifiable, the master is considered to be one of the painters who brought new motifs and stronger choice of colors from Italy to Paris and the borders he created with the often typical acanthus leaves of traditional book illumination gave new impulses there. However, it can also be seen that the master himself adopted the often elegant and fine painting style of his French colleagues and that such an exchange took place when the master returned to Bologna or Padua.

The pictures in the Brussels Book of Hours are said to come from the French miniaturist Jacquemart de Hesdin , who can be verified between 1384 and 1410 .

literature

  • Milva Bollati: Il Maestro delle iniziali di Bruxelles. Appunti sulla miniatura bolognese del primo Quattrocento. In: Paragone. Arte . Vol. 43, No. 503 = NS Vol. 31, 1992, ISSN  1120-4737 , pp. 12-24.
  • Pierre Cockshaw, Bernard Bousmanne, Gerhard Schmidt : Heures de Bruxelles. Ms. 11060-61, Bibliothèque Royale Albert Ier, Bruxelles. = The Brussels Book of Hours. Commentary volume on the facsimile edition. Facsimile Verlag, Lucerne 1996, ISBN 3-85672-059-6 .
  • Milva Bollati: Un'aggiunta e una precisazione sul "Maestro delle initiali di Bruxelles". In: Arte a Bologna. Vol. 4, 1997, ZDB -ID 1120216-6 , pp. 133-139.
  • Masimo Medica: Nuove tracce per l'attività padovana del Maestro delle Iniziali di Bruxelles. In: Giovanna Baldissin Molli, Giordana Mariani Canova, Federica Toniolo (eds.): La miniatura a Padova dal Medioevo al Settecento. = Slogan dipinte. Panini, Padua 1999, ISBN 88-8290-078-9 , pp. 471-479.
  • Massimo Medica: Maestro delle Iniziali di Bruxelles. In: Milvia Bollati (ed.): Dizionario Biografico dei Miniatori Italiani. Secoli IX-XVI. Bonnard, Milan 2004, ISBN 88-86842-70-8 , pp. 565-567
  • Treasures of the J. Paul Getty Museum (= Great Libraries in the World. ). Facsimile Verlag, Gütersloh 2009 (Facsimile sheets, including: The calling of Saints Peter and Andreas. Initiale D : Hl. Andreas , Initiale Q : Hl. Petrus ; Missale, Ms. 34, fol. 172a).
  • Paolo Cova: Nuovi studi sulla miniatura delle matricole e degli statuti delle confraternite medievali bolognesi. In: Rivista di storia della miniatura. Vol. 14, 2010, ISSN  1126-4772 , pp. 81-97, tav. VI.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Book of hours Bibliothèque royale, mss. 11060-61
personal data
SURNAME Master of the Brussels initials
BRIEF DESCRIPTION medieval illuminator
DATE OF BIRTH before 1390
DATE OF DEATH after 1415