Jardin de vertueuse consolation Fr1026 f1

The Master of the Jardin de vertueuse consolation is the

Notname In art history, a ''Notname'' (, "necessity-name" or "contingency-name") is an invented name given to an artist whose identity has been lost. The practice arose from the need to give such artists and their typically untitled, or generically title ...

of an illuminator active in

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

in the years 1450 to 1475. He owes his name to a work by

Pierre d'Ailly Pierre d'Ailly (; Latin ''Petrus Aliacensis'', ''Petrus de Alliaco''; 13519 August 1420) was a French theologian, astrologer and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Academic career D'Ailly was born in Compiègne in 1350 or 1351 of a prospero ...

of which the decoration has been attributed to him, ''Le Jardin de vertueuse consolation'', executed for

Louis de Gruuthuse Louis de Bruges, Lord of Gruuthuse, Prince of Steenhuijs, Earl of Winchester (Dutch: Lodewijk van Brugge; c. 1427 – 24 November 1492), was a Flemish courtier, bibliophile, soldier and nobleman. He was awarded the title of Earl of Winchester b ...

and today preserved in the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

as ms. fr. 1026.

Biographical and stylistic notes

The style of the Master was described by the Belgian art historian Maximiliaan P. J. Martens who discerned his hand in certain manuscripts which had up to that time been attributed to the

Master of Margaret of York The Master of Margaret of York is the Notname of an illuminator active in Bruges between 1470 and 1480. He owes his name to a devotional book he decorated for Margaret of York, wife of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. A large number of his il ...

. He would, on this reading, have been an associate of the Master of Margaret of York who developed a more polished style. His figures are drawn in a more skilful and precise way, his colour palette richer and more subtle than his master, and he shows more attention in the rendering of materials. He could have been trained in the entourage of

Lieven van Lathem Lieven van Lathem (1430–1493), was an Early Netherlandish painter and manuscript illuminator. Career He was born in Ghent.Louis de Gruuthuse Louis de Bruges, Lord of Gruuthuse, Prince of Steenhuijs, Earl of Winchester (Dutch: Lodewijk van Brugge; c. 1427 – 24 November 1492), was a Flemish courtier, bibliophile, soldier and nobleman. He was awarded the title of Earl of Winchester b ...

. The existence of the master is however questioned by the French art historian Pascal Schandel: he argued that the manuscript of ''Le Jardin de vertueuse consolation'' is indeed from the hand of the Master of Margaret of York himself and the fine quality of the miniatures relative to his usual production simply shows that he has brought himself up to the level of the quality of his patrons.

Footnotes

{{Reflist Jardin de vertueuse consolation Artists from Bruges Early Netherlandish painters Manuscript illuminators Place of birth unknown Place of death unknown Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown