Master of the Burgundian Prelates

Master of the Burgundian Prelates: Catherine of Siena , miniature from the Autum Book of Hours, Burgundy, 15th century.

The master of the Burgundian prelates ( fr. Maître des prélats Bourguignons ) is a book illuminator who worked in France from around 1470 to around 1500. The emergency name of this artist, who is not known by name, indicates his client, almost exclusively high church dignitaries, i.e. H. Prelates such as bishops or abbots from Burgundy . The master and his workshop in Dijon or Autun made a decisive contribution to the revival of book illumination in the Burgundian region, after the Dukes of Burgundy had previously preferred works with illuminations from the Netherlands during the Hundred Years War up to 1453 .

Works

The master of the Burgundian prelates z. B. attributed the following works:

• Book of hours for the Bishop of Autun
  • Work for Bishop Jean of the Rolin noble family; San Marino, Huntington Library , HM 1077
• Pontifical for the Bishop of Autun
  • Work for Bishop Antoine of the Chalon family ; Autun, Bib. Mun., MS. 129
• Missal for the Abbot of St-Etienne , Dijon
  • Work for Abbot Richard of the Chambellan family ; Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France , MS. lat. 879
• Missal for the Bishop of Tournai
  • Work for Bishop Ferry of the Clugny family ; Siena, Biblioteca communale, MS. XVI

In addition to the works for the ecclesiastical representatives of aristocratic families, there are also works intended for laypeople from the master’s workshop, all of which show the high level of individual skill of their creators, e.g. B.

• Book of hours (workshop of the master); New York, Public Library , Spencer 43

style

The painting style of the master of the Burgundian prelates is almost static, instead of lively events, this is intended to emphasize the quiet prayer without distraction in front of the picture. Often the gaze of the people, mostly depicted in subtle colors, rises transfigured to the sky. Large-format, often almost page-filling pictures are usually not directly related to the text next to them, which means that the work of the master and his helpers can be seen as characteristic works by almost independent artists who act without the otherwise often usual direct instruction on the paintings. This can further point to the awareness and importance of the workshop.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Nicole Reynaud: Un peintre Français de la fin du XVe siècle: Le maître des prélats Bourguignons. In: Albert Châtelet, Nicole Reynaud (eds.): Études d'art français offerts à Charles Sterling. Presses universitaires de France, Paris 1975, pp. 151-163.
2. ↑ Jonathan JG Alexander, James H. Marrow, Lucy Freeman Sandler: The Splendor of the Word. Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the New York Public Library. New York Public Library et al., New York NY et al. 2005, ISBN 0-87104-455-2 (exhibition catalog).
3. ↑ Master of the Burgundian Prelates. In: Art Encyclopedia. The Concise Grove Dictionary of Art . Oxford 2002 (online edition July 2010).