Danaïdes tuant leurs maris BnF Français 874 fol

Robinet Testard ( fl. 1470–1531) was a French medieval illuminator and painter, whose works are difficult to attribute since none of them was signed or dated. He is known to have worked for the family of

Charles, Count of Angoulême Charles of Orléans (1459 – 1 January 1496) () was the Count of Angoulême from 1467 until his death. He succeeded his father, John, and was initially under the regency of his mother, Marguerite de Rohan, assisted by Jean I de La Rochefoucauld, ...

(1459–96) in

Cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cog ...

, and made

Valet de Chambre ''Valet de chambre'' (), or ''varlet de chambre'', was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal households had many persons appointed at any time. While some valets simply waited on t ...

to the family in 1484. When the Count of Angoulême died in 1496, Testard accepted service with the Count's widow,

Louise of Savoy Louise of Savoy (11 September 1476 – 22 September 1531) was a French noble and regent, Duchess ''suo jure'' of Auvergne and Bourbon, Duchess of Nemours, and the mother of King Francis I. She was politically active and served as the regent of Fra ...

, and is mentioned at the time of her death in 1531. Testard started his career in

Poitiers Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...

. His works include a page in a ''Missal for Poitiers Use'', the ''La Rochefoucauld Hours'', and two other ''Books of Hours''. His middle period, characterised by tight compositions and sharply defined colouring, is typified by his ''

Roman de la Rose ''Le Roman de la Rose'' (''The Romance of the Rose'') is a medieval poem written in Old French and presented as an allegorical dream vision. As poetry, ''The Romance of the Rose'' is a notable instance of courtly literature, purporting to prov ...

'', the ''Nouailher Missal'' and the ''

Book of Hours The book of hours is a Christian devotional book used to pray the canonical hours. The use of a book of hours was especially popular in the Middle Ages and as a result, they are the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscrip ...

'', probably painted for Charles, Count of Angoulême about 1480. Surprisingly, 17 engravings by

Israhel van Meckenem Israhel van Meckenem (c.1445 – 10 November 1503), also known as Israhel van Meckenem the Younger, was a German printmaker and goldsmith, perhaps of a Dutch family origin. He was the most prolific engraver of the fifteenth century and an imp ...

were included in the tome and coloured by Testard. He produced another ''Book of Hours'', a copy of

Dioskurides Pedanius Dioscorides ( grc-gre, Πεδάνιος Διοσκουρίδης, ; 40–90 AD), “the father of pharmacognosy”, was a Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist, and author of ''De materia medica'' (, On Medical Material) —a 5-vol ...

and mythological illustrations after Solinus and

Pliny Pliny may refer to: People * Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of ''Naturalis Historia'' (''Pliny's Natural History'') * Pliny the Younger (died 113), ancient Roman statesman, orator, w ...

titled ''Les Secrets de l'histoire naturelle contenant les merveilles et choses memorables du monde''. He also illustrated

Matthaeus Platearius Matthaeus Platearius was a physician from the medical school at Salerno, and is thought to have produced a twelfth-century Latin manuscript on medicinal herbs titled "''Circa Instans''" (also known as "''The Book of Simple Medicines''"), later tra ...

' "''The Book of

Simple Simple or SIMPLE may refer to: *Simplicity, the state or quality of being simple Arts and entertainment * ''Simple'' (album), by Andy Yorke, 2008, and its title track * "Simple" (Florida Georgia Line song), 2018 * "Simple", a song by Johnn ...

Medicines''" The British Library Catalogue
/ref>

External links

Horae ad usum Parisiensem 1475-1500
(The Hours of Charles d’Angoulême)
MS. Douce 195
(Le roman de la rose)
''Héroïdes ou Epîtres''''Le livre des échecs amoureux moralisés''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Testard, Robinet 15th-century French painters French male painters 16th-century French painters