SOLD: 600 Years ago: The Hours of Jean Troussier, Breton Nobleman, with 20 large Miniatures by two of the foremost Painters of the Time, datable 1424-25
Book of Hours. Horae B. M. V. Use of Paris. Illuminated manuscript on vellum in Latin and French in brown and red textura. Paris, c. 1425, last leaf c. 1444.
20 large miniatures: 19 by the Master of the Munich Golden Legend (Conrad of Toul) and one miniature by the Dunois Master (Jean Haincelin).
Large octavo (216 x 160 mm). Bound in black 17th century French morocco with gold tooling on the spine and covers.
Complete and in pristine condition.
‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever’ and this one is exactly 600 years old this year. It represents everything a collector could wish for: paintings of the highest artistic quality, complete and in mint condition, and of which we know whom it was made for.
This man is represented on the opening page: it is one of the most impressive images of a dedicatee in prayer. The distinguished nobleman in armour, kneeling before his prayer desk, is Jean Troussier, procurator of Brittany and seneschal of Lamballe. His upward gaze leads us to a monumental and poignant Pietà scene: a masterpiece by Conrad of Toul (also known as the Master of the Munich Golden Legend). Eighteen more brilliant miniatures by this artist follow.
But the end holds another surprise for us: about 20 years later, Jean Haincelin (also known as the Dunois Master) added a dramatic and terrifying depiction of the Mouth of Hell devouring sinners: as far as we know, it is the first full-page depiction of its kind in a manuscript.
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The Book of Hours for Jean Troussier. Paris, 1425-1444
A large-format, fully preserved mature work by the Master of the Munich Golden Legend, whom we cautiously refer to here as Conrad of Toul, with an impressive miniature by the Dunois Master, thus an example of the two artists working side by side in Paris, whose miniatures represent the two most important stylistic trends in Parisian book illumination in the second quarter of the 15th century. In terms of text and design, this is a Parisian manuscript, but the main painter responsible for it added his best miniature at the very moment it came into Breton hands. This miniature is also remarkably personalised and refers to the owner, Jean Troussier from the Saint-Brieuc area. This added leaf with the Breton procureur and seneschal Jean Troussier also makes the magnificent manuscript an example of the far-reaching influence of Parisian book illumination of the time. With magnificent, often poignant compositions, many of which surpass what is usual in Books of Hours.
In their serenity, the large-scale scenes are reminiscent of the pictures in the Munich Legenda Aurea. The two book illuminators produced impressive works, which, however, do not indicate that they worked together, but rather show a temporal distance between them, which the two illuminators bridge by means of the added prayers that they illuminate: The magnificent portrait of Jean Troussier, Lord of La Gabetière, was painted during his lifetime, perhaps in the first decade of his long service to the Dukes of Brittany c. 1423-25. By contrast, the Master of Dunois illustrated a prayer that was intended for his widow and was therefore created lateron; this may shed light on the history of painting in Paris in the second quarter of the 15th century.
LITERATURE: Paris mon Amour I, 2017, no. 11, pp. 291-311. Deuffic 2014, pp. 221-228.
The manuscript has been described in detail in our catalogue Paris mon Amour Vol. I, lot 11. You can view the digital version here or order your printed copy in our online shop.
If you would like to receive further information on this work, please contact us.