Jean Pucelle (c. 1300 – 1355; active c. 1320–1350) was a Parisian Gothic-era manuscript illuminator who excelled in the invention of

drolleries A drollerie, often also called a grotesque, from French language, is a small decorative image in the margin of an illuminated manuscript, most popular from about 1250 through the 15th century, though found earlier and later. The most common type ...

as well as traditional iconography. He is considered one of the best miniaturists of the early 14th century. He worked primarily under the patronage of the royal court and is believed to have been responsible for the introduction of the ''arte nuovo'' of

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto ( , ) and Latinised as Giottus, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the Gothic/ Proto-Renaissance period. G ...

and

Duccio Duccio di Buoninsegna ( , ; – ) was an Italian painter active in Siena, Tuscany, in the late 13th and early 14th century. He was hired throughout his life to complete many important works in government and religious buildings around Italy. Ducc ...

to Northern Gothic art. His work shows a distinct influence of the Italian

trecento The Trecento (, also , ; short for , "1300") refers to the 14th century in Italian cultural history. Period Art Commonly, the Trecento is considered to be the beginning of the Renaissance in art history. Painters of the Trecento included Giotto ...

art Duccio is credited with creating. His style is characterized by delicate figures rendered in ''

grisaille Grisaille ( or ; french: grisaille, lit=greyed , from ''gris'' 'grey') is a painting executed entirely in shades of grey or of another neutral greyish colour. It is particularly used in large decorative schemes in imitation of sculpture. Many g ...

,'' accented with touches of

color Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are assoc ...

. Pucelle was a major contributor towards the development of manuscript illumination. By the 1380s, French art of illumination can be divided into two, one of which included artists following on the stylistic traditions of Pucelle, the other being Flemish realism.

Notable works

*'' The Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux'', a private prayer book done as a royal commission for the queen of France, Jeanne d'Évreux (c. 1324–28), which reflects the ''

Maestà Maestà , the Italian word for "majesty", designates a classification of images of the enthroned Madonna with the child Jesus, the designation generally implying accompaniment by angels, saints, or both. The ''Maestà'' is an extension of the "Se ...

'' (c. 1325) by Duccio. *''

Belleville Breviary The Belleville Breviary (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, MS lat. 10484, 2 volumes) is an illuminated breviary. It was produced in Paris some time between 1323 and 1326 by the artist known as Jean Pucelle,Deuchler (1971), 253 probably for Jeanne d ...

'' believed to have been owned by Jeanne de Clisson. *He is also credited with the Franciscan breviary believed to have once been owned by Blanche of France. *His earliest documented work is believed to be the design for the great seal of the Confraternity of the Hospital of in Paris, indicating that Pucelle worked and designed in a variety of media ranging from enamels to stained glass. Pucelle's

proto-Renaissance Italian Renaissance painting is the painting of the period beginning in the late 13th century and flourishing from the early 15th to late 16th centuries, occurring in the Italian Peninsula, which was at that time divided into many political stat ...

style is evident in ''The Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux'', the ''Belleville Breviary'' and the Bible of Robert de Billyng, which all displayed such features as sculpturally modeled figures, three-dimensional treatment of space and a new form of psychological expression.

References

External links

JSTOR: "Jean Pucelle: A Re-Examination of the Evidence", Kathleen Morand, ''The Burlington Magazine,'' June 1961

Jean Pucelle: Innovation and Collaboration in Manuscript Painting (Studies in Medieval and Early Renaissance Art History) edited by Kyunghee Pyun and Anna Russakoff (Brepols, 2013)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pucelle, Jean 1300 births 1355 deaths French illustrators Manuscript illuminators