Les Enluminures

Name: Les Enluminures
Address: 1 Rue Jean jacques Rousseau, Paris, 75001, FR
Telephone: +33142601558
Rating: 4.5

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France
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Les Enluminures

PARIS- 1 rue Jean Jacques Rousseau, Paris
NEW YORK- 23 East 73rd Street, 7th Floor, NY
CHICAGO- 980 North Michigan Ave.
(12)

Suite 1330, Chicago

Please contact us to arrange an appointment (Open 9-5 pm) or visit us at the New York gallery during exhibitions. www.lesenluminures.com
www.textmanuscripts.com

22/11/2024

A delightful example of an Italian Book of Hours from the circle of an important late Gothic illuminator in Venice, here in an inviting, small format...

Representing a late Gothic trend in Venetian manuscript illumination contemporary with the late work of Cristoforo Cortese, manuscripts in this circle display an interest in the natural world, soft modeling, a colorful palette, and energetic border illumination. The opening initial portraying the Virgin and Child is close to the same subject in two Books of Hours attributed to the artist and now in the Vatican and in Oxford; compare especially the treatment of the trees in the background setting of the miniature. There is an almost identical rendering of the stately, elegant green peacock in the margin of the Oxford Book of Hours, while the plump colorful, acanthus border decoration recalls that in the Durant Gradual. Our artist’s renderings are not as fine as those of the Donato Master but nevertheless display enough similarities to suggest that he probably worked in his circle.

The study of the history of women in religion in the Middle Ages and the early modern period has flourished in the last decades, and manuscripts such as this one, with concrete evidence that it was made for a nun in Venice in 1442, play an important part of this story. Recent studies have underlined the importance of religious communities of women in the social history of the Italian city, where remarkable percentages of the female population, especially women from the nobility, who were often educated and allied with the city’s most powerful families, lived in convents. According to one modern author, early sixteenth-century Venice had fifty female convents and about 3000 nuns (Laven, 2003). Dated manuscripts associated with Italian nuns and their abbesses are, however, very uncommon.

-Book of Hours (Use of Venice)
-In Latin, Illuminated manuscript on parchment. 3 historiated initials and 19 illuminated initials, with borders, from the Circle of the Master of the Commissione Donato
-Italy (Venice), 1442 (dated)

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20/11/2024

An exquisite example of the quintessential early-fifteenth century Parisian illumination...

This attractive, large Book of Hours is richly illuminated throughout: every text page is adorned with a panel border and surrounded by very large margins. The five large arch-topped miniatures, accompanied by a generous floral border, have been listed by Gregory Clark among the productions of the Master of the Harvard Hannibal (Art in a Time of War, 2016, cited p. 290).

Of particular note here is the landscape of the Visitation, in which the receding depth is remarkably conveyed by the succession of a rising cliff with trees, of a river with a mill and a boat, and of a hill with a castle reduced to a camaieu d’or palette, all set under a deep blue sky with gold stars and silver clouds. These motifs are hallmarks of the innovative approach to landscape characteristic of the Boucicaut Master, an artist often regarded as the first to have perfected the principles of aerial perspective and heralded the achievements of fifteenth-century Northern painting.

-The Anne Seurot Hours (unidentified use)
-In Latin and French, Illuminated manuscript on parchment. 5 miniatures by the Master of the Harvard Hannibal and Workshop (active Paris, c. 1420-1440)
-France, Paris, c. 1420-1430

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Truly unique:

14/11/2024

🇰🇷 레정뤼미뉘르는 이번에 네 개의 아름다운 반지를 새롭게 선보입니다. 이 중 특히 눈여겨 보실 작품은 아주 특별한 다이아몬드 클러스터 반지와 세인트 캐서린의 종교화가 아주 정교하게 그려진 반지입니다. 프로필의 링크를 클릭하시면 이번 업데이트에 대해 좀더 상세하게 알아보실 수 있습니다.

🇺🇸 Les Enluminures is delighted to present a sparkling new curated group of four rings. Highlights include an exceptional diamond cluster ring and a very fine iconographic ring, with an engraving of St Catherine.

Discover more about this update by following the link in our bio

12/11/2024

Les Enluminures is proud to announce its sale of the thousand-year-old Giant Bible of St. Maximin to the National Library of Luxembourg for 4.5 million Euros. Always in private hands, this is the last manuscript from the School of Echternach available on the market.

Founder and CEO Sandra Hindman says: “Les Enluminures is honored to continue to play a role in the repatriation of objects of cultural value to their origins. We are never happier than when our manuscripts go ‘home’. When the owner approached me with a desire to sell, I immediately thought of Luxembourg.”

Visit the link in our bio to read more.

11/11/2024

A unique Book of Hours personalized for a nun with style 🙏⛪️💅

This outstanding Book of Hours appears to have been illuminated by Pierre Villate, the most documented painter active in late-fifteenth century Avignon. Its highly personalized content and heraldic features allow us to identify its patron as a nun of the Cistercian convent St. Katherine, established at the bottom of the hill of the Palace of Popes.

This Book of Hours holds a plethora of unusual content that demonstrate its liturgical use within a monastic context. This includes the numerous series of prayers in Latin and French and of lessons intertwined within the offices, as well as a series of prayers for the thirty-two Sundays after the Octave of the Nativity. Even more uncommon is the doubling of the Hours of the Virgin, with a first, much incomplete version following an unrecorded use being succeeded with another written for the liturgical use of the Cistercians.

The illuminator is just as unique. Villate enjoyed a successful and long-lasting career in Avignon, as evidenced by more than thirty documented works dating from 1452 to 1486, and passed away at around seventy years of age, between 1495 and 1505. He is known to have completed at least twelve altarpieces, several stained-glass windows, numerous monumental decorations, and a few books of hours.

- France, Avignon, c. 1470-1480.
- In Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment
- 8 large miniatures and 2 historiated initials by Pierre Villate

Truly Unique:

11/11/2024

Joy BC and Les Enluminures present "Beyond Sight."

An exhibition exploring the Materiality of art and jewelry - in the Middle Ages and Now In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Sight occupied a place of pride, seconded by Taste, Hearing, Touch and Smell. Through a series of artworks, we examine how we can recover traces of these ‘secondary’ senses that are, along with Sight, inherent in the materiality of the works. This aspect of medieval culture is being dissected in dialogue with contemporary artist-goldsmith Joy Bonfield-Colombara. Her technique evokes her touch, and her medium, fine jewelry, encourages a haptic engagement. The exhibition will feature important illuminated medieval manuscripts and exceptional historic jewelry from the early Middle Ages to the high Renaissance that showcase examples of the range of haptic and physical experiences enjoyed from its original owners to its contemporary custodians.

"Beyond Sight" opens this Thursday, November 14th. Email Les Enluminures to make an appointment to see the show. We are open 10AM to 5PM, Monday through Saturday.

08/11/2024

Discover what makes this Book of Hours such a valuable witness to the developments of French illumination around 1500...

This Book of Hours was first illuminated in Paris by the Master of Robert Gaguin, active in Paris from c. 1480 to c. 1500. Alongside the four other miniatures, the Annunciation constitutes a fine example of his style, favoring short figures with pale, porcelain-like flesh tones, square-shaped faces with prominent cheekbones, slim nose and eyebrows, and bell-shaped blond hair, as well as a palette of light blue and gold.

Also distinctive is the subtle modelling of the faces in thin hatchings of red on the cheeks, red lips, soft shades, which convey a soft, almost dusty finish to the miniature. As in most of his manuscripts, settings are comprehensively evoked, whether interiors framed with openwork arches and filled with minute architectural detail and furnishings, or landscapes developed with a convincing sense of depth. These miniatures rely on models still indebted to Master François alongside whom he trained, which may argue for an early date.

In the 1520s, a quire containing the Hours of the Conception was inserted at the beginning of the present manuscript by a lady from the House of Clavel, whose arms appear in the border. She may be responsible for the commission of the exquisite miniature of the Meeting of Joachim and St. Anna at the Golden Gate, which can be regarded as a rare and remarkable example of French Renaissance illumination in Burgundy. Enclosed within a Renaissance architectural frame surrounded with candelabras, this large miniature depicts Mary's parents kissing before the Golden Gate of Jerusalem, an event during which the miraculous conception of the Virgin herself would have occurred.

-The Hours of Clavel (use of Rome)
-In Latin, Illuminated manuscript on parchment. 5 large miniatures by the Master of -Robert Gaguin, and 1 large miniature by the Master of Bénigne Serre
-France, Paris, c. 1480-1490; Dijon, c. 1520-1530

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07/11/2024

The Beatus leaf features the inventive and eclectic style of Abruzzo painting, which melded local traditions with elements from Lombardy, Tuscany, and the Veneto. Our painter was a follower of Giovanni di Ugolino who, in Alessandro Tomai’s analysis, was responsible for the fresco program in the choir vault of Santa Maria della Rocca in Offida. Though executed several decades following the Offida frescos, our painter was clearly aware of Ugolino’s work, incorporating many of the artist's figural and decorative mannerisms in this composition.

Composed of colorful foliage on a luxurious mosaic ground of gold and vivid colors, the initial presents King David playing the psaltery in the upper counter and Saint Francis in the lower counter displaying scrolls to the three Franciscan orders: friars, nuns, and tertiaries. The miniature provides an unusually rich collection of Franciscan saint portraits in the margins. In the top left, Saint Louis of Toulouse, identified by mitre and crozier and a mantle embroidered with fleurs-de-lys; bottom left, Saint Julian, fashionably dressed with a falcon and sword. In the lower register from left to right: Saint Anthony of Padua holding a book and a green branch; Saint Bernardino of Siena preaching; Saint John of Capestrano (Abruzzi) holding a banner and a book inscribed Domine in nomine tuo, inimici; and, lastly, Saint Clare. The attribute of Saint Bernardino of Siena, a medallion with monogram of Christ “YHS” on a blazing sun, occupies the center of the bottom register. The monumental dimensions of the leaf and the form of the script indicate that it was intended for use by the choir, likely as part of the Ferial Psalter with hymns, psalms, and antiphons for celebrating the canonical hours.

-Follower of Giovanni di Ugolino
-Beatus leaf from a Psalter-Hymnal
-Italy, Abruzzi, L’Aquila, c. 1456–1460

Truly unique:

05/11/2024

Discover what makes this manuscript a prime example of late fifteenth-century illumination in Rouen, Normandy...

The layout of these twelve full-page miniatures within flat gold frames, some of them incrusted with illusionistic jewels, is a distinctive feature of manuscripts illuminated in Rouen in the 1490s by the Master of Raoul du Fou and Robert Boyvin. The artist most likely trained alongside the Master of the Rouen Échevinage and was the most important figure of the so-called “Playfair Group” dubbed by Rowan Watson (Watson 1984). These twelve-full page miniatures exemplify his style, recognizable to his solid figures with oval heads, almond eyes defined in shades and frowned eyebrows.

A rather unusual theme is that of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Paradise, which precedes the opening of the Hours of the Virgin and would have faced the Annunciation (now missing); such diptychs of full-page miniatures are limited to the most expensive Books of Hours illuminated in Rouen. Also characteristic of the luxurious nature of this commission is the remarkable cycle of full border that enlivens every text page of the manuscript. This imaginative repertoire distributes a variety of colors, geometrical and ornamental motifs, avoiding any sort of monotony from one leaf to the next.

-Book of Hours (Use of Rouen)
-In Latin and French, Illuminated manuscript on parchment. 12 full-page miniatures by the Master of Raoul du Fou, and full borders on every page by Jean Serpin (both active Rouen, c. 1480-1520)
-France, Rouen, c. 1480-1490

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History is cool:

30/10/2024

Buckle up for this belt of fantastical beasts! 🦁🪽

Belts and girdles were showpieces, and had been popular throughout the royal courts of Europe since their earliest appearance, with secular and fantastical imagery of the type visible on our example becoming popular from the thirteenth century onwards.
They were worn around the waist (or higher under the ribcage) by both men and women over a long-sleeved garment called a houppelande, with the pendant allowed to hang down at the front. This girdle may have been produced for local courts, where they were given as part of an amorous liaison or a wedding trousseau.

This shimmering medieval girdle has 19 individual silver-gilt mounts, 17 of which are slender vertical bars punctuated at their centers with a rotund knop motif and shaped at either end into opposing fleurs-de-lys. At the center of the buckle-chape, two
fantastical beasts known as Senmurvs are turned in profile to face each other on either side of a central sprouting fleur-de-lys. The pendant is similarly decorated, with a griffon in profile above a scrolling, freely-floating rinceau.

- chased and gilded silver attached to a later red velvet mount
- Serbian empire c. 1350-1400
- 4.3 x 126 x 1 cm

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One of a kind:

25/10/2024

Explore the intricate details and patterning of this Book of hours...

This richly illuminated Book of Hours survives as a compelling example of pre-Eyckian book illumination from a subgroup called the Pink Canopies Group, whose work only survives in eight codices.

The bold expressive figures set beneath pink architectural canopies are rendered with the subtle plasticity of Pre-Eyckian realism and are typically set against highly decorative backgrounds. Other features include the gold and black patterned backgrounds; repetitive patterns used in floors, and other features; expressive figures, their flesh often modelled with a greenish under-layer; and luxuriantly folded draperies. The artist of the present manuscript is notable for painting especially voluminous draperies and for his scalloped halos. His miniatures provide a remarkable contrast between flat, two-dimensional floors and backgrounds and wonderfully modelled, fleshy, voluminous, plastic figures with a high degree of individuality and expressive faces.

- In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment
- Bruges, c. 1390-1400, and England, c. 1400
- 19 full-page miniatures

Learn more about this manuscript at the link in our bio!

One of a kind:

Thank you .mov and for the beautiful cover photo.

23/10/2024

This finely painted, jewel-like manuscript in virtually perfect condition fits securely in a small but coherent group of manuscripts that come from a rare center in the Dauphiné, perhaps the town of Grenoble, and is associated by the Master of the Apocalypse of Aymar de Poitiers. This manuscript was custom-made for a member of the important La Baume family established in Savoy, whose arms appear in the manuscript and who perhaps held a special devotion to the Swedish mystic St. Bridget. The narrative borders surrounding the main miniatures and developing the story line, are full of charm.

-The Hours of La Baume (Use of Rome)
-In Latin, Illuminated manuscript on parchment. 13 large miniatures, 4 small miniatures and 2 historiated initials by the Master of the Apocalypse of Aymar de Poitiers (active Dauphiné, c. 1480-1490)
-France, Dauphiné, perhaps Grenoble, c. 1480-1485

History is cool:

17/10/2024

Reading the text and looking at the pictures of Books of Hours transports us into the presence of men and especially women of five hundred years ago.

Discover our Fall Books of Hours Update with ten "new" books of the widest variety. They are Flemish, English, Italian, and French (Avignon, Savoy, Rouen, and Paris). They range in price from $60,000 to $375,000, with seven of them attractively priced below $100,000 and still custom-made and densely illustrated. Short videos for every book are accessible on the website and through our YouTube channel.

Learn more about this update by visiting the link in our bio!

One of a kind:

10/10/2024

Discover the oeuvre of a forger who recreated an imaginary medieval past for society of the day, developing a recognizable and charming style of his own...

This miniature is typical of a group of historiated initials painted by the Spanish Forger. In a large initial “D,” a seated saint on the left (Cecilia, patron saint of musicians, because she is said to have sung to God even as she was beheaded) plays a portative organ, while a gathering of elegantly attired men and women read, listen, and sing in a lush garden setting beneath a castle. A couple appears on the balcony of the castle. The initial itself is composed of elaborate acanthus and white-dot tracery decoration; cavorting monkeys inhabit the rounded vertical bars of the letter. The Forger loved scenes of music and courtship; they occur frequently in his works.

Unmasked in 1930 by Belle da Costa Green, then director of the Pierpont Morgan Library, the Spanish Forger is known today one of the “most skillful and successful and prolific forgers of all times.” Hundreds of works are attributed to him and in 1978 a retrospective exhibition of his art was organized at the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York. He was active already in the 1890s, and he was still painting in the 1920s. He borrowed freely from chromolithographic editions published in Paris for his compositions, especially the series of publications by Lacroix, which suggests that he may been employed by one of the Parisian publishing houses (remnants of old Parisian newspapers have been found inside the frames).

-The Spanish Forger
-St. Cecilia Playing Music in a Courtly Gathering
-France, probably Paris, perhaps after 1925

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History is cool:

07/10/2024

This leaf from a large Missal opens the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene (July 22). It is decorated with a miniature of Mary Magdalene shown elegantly dressed and holding her unguent jar while standing on a tiled floor before a columned arcade that opens onto a landscape. The miniature is framed in liquid gold while the refined initials decorating the remainder of the leaf are in gold leaf, with a 4-line initial 'M' set on budding flowers.

The style of the miniature places it in the orbit of Jean Pichore and his workshop, active in Paris from around 1490 to 1521. Pichore headed a large family enterprise that illuminated a great number of classical, secular, and liturgical texts.

The present miniature of Mary Magdalene with a tiled floor and raised arcade cutting across the background can be compared to a presentation scene in a copy of the Roman de Palamon et Arcita of Anne de Graville, here attributed directly to Étienne Colaud's hand. Similar elements appear in Pichore's designs for woodcuts in printed Books of Hours. Taken together, the style and design point to a follower of Pichore working in Paris. New research might very well uncover the identity of the artist(s) responsible or the Missal of Guy de Baudreuil.

-Follower of Jean Pichore (Paris, active c. 1490-1521)
-Saint Mary Magdalene, leaf from the Missal of Guy de Baudreuil
-France, probably Paris, c. 1510-1520

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History is cool:

04/10/2024

On Wednesday, Les Enluminures had the pleasure of hosting a reception on behalf of the International Center of Medieval Art (ICMA). Taking place at Christies Paris, we offered discussions from Mathieu Deldicque and Dr.Sandra Hindman.

The International Center of Medieval Art is a leading scholarly organization committed to the understanding and preservation of medieval art. In the years since its founding, the ICMA has grown into a world-wide network of scholars, collectors, and philanthropists. The organization publishes the prominent journal Gesta and provides financial support for exhibitions, publications, and research. Looking toward the future, the ICMA is dedicated to ensuring that the artistic achievements of the medieval world will be studied, celebrated, and preserved far into the future.

03/10/2024

Presented in partnership with EXPO CHICAGO, we are thrilled to be participating in this year’s edition of the Chicago Exhibition Weekend. CXW mobilizes art galleries and creative spaces across the city from October 3 - 6, spotlighting Chicago’s vibrant cultural landscape and artistic spirit for locals and visitors alike.

Visit our Chicago space to discover “Radiant Echoes: Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts and Opulent Jewels”. We are open from 10AM to 5PM.

Over the weekend we also invite you to join us for two talks:
Saturday October 5th 3pm: Baubles, Bangles, and Bling: Wearing Historic Jewelry
Sunday October 6th, 3pm: Be Spellbound: Experience the Magic of Medieval Manuscripts

Space is limited - to reserve your spot, please DM us or email [email protected].

30/09/2024

A refined leaf of the Visitation, once part of an important Book of Hours...

This leaf of the Visitation was extensively illuminated around 1400 by a talented painter of Northern France, known only from a Prayer Book and Life of St. Margaret now at the Morgan Library. Written for the rare use of Soissons, the parent manuscript could have been commissioned by Enguerrand VII de Coucy, Count of Soissons, or someone of his circle. This Book of Hours was once part of the distinguished collection of the Marquess of Bute.

Introducing Lauds of the Virgin on f. 46, this Visitation represents Elizabeth as she embraces her cousin Mary and touches her belly to confirm her pregnancy with Christ. The composition stands out by the subtle balance of gestures, attitudes, and colors, as the illuminator echoes the serpentine line of the women, and the star-shaped folds of their mantles.

The painting technique is typical of Northern and Netherlandish illumination. Both faces are modelled on a colored ground, the facial features merely suggested with thick brushstrokes of delayed pigment. Draperies such as the pink mantle of Elizabeth present a light coloring, taking advantage of the preliminary drawing to model the folds, which are further defined by thin and precise lines drawn in black ink.

-Master of the Morgan Life of St. Margaret
-The Visitation, from the Bute-Soissons Hours
-Northern France (Thérouanne?), c. 1400
-151 x 116 mm.

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History is cool:

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Vidéos

Administrative Records from the Chapter of the Cathédrale Saint-Trophime

Check out our new video on a manuscript from a UNESCO world heritage site! This collection of records is a precious link to the day-to-day administration of the famous Cathédrale Saint-Trophime d’Arles, a significant pilgrimage site and one of Europe’s most marvelous Romanesque churches. The manuscript histories the arrentements (a type of lease) of the chapter of the Cathédrale Saint-Trophime d’Arles, spanning the late 15th through the early 16th centuries, and naming multiple canons and other officials associated with the cathedral. The records preserved in this sizable volume, apparently unpublished and never studied, are a veritable treasure-trove, just waiting for further study by today's scholars. History is cool: #buymedieval

The Bishop Carr Bible

What's so special about thirteenth-century Bibles? Watch this video... One of the thirteenth century’s most striking inventions is the new portable Bibles containing the complete Old and New Testaments, the template upon which the modern is based. Here is a very attractive example. Coming down from a line of prominent owners, the Bishop Carr Bible is lightly larger than a typical pocket Bible thus perfectly readable and a pleasure to handle. Painted initials accompany each book of the Bible, many of which include amusing animals and other drolleries. • The Bishop Carr Bible (Vulgate) • In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment • Northern France, c. 1230-1250

What makes this Book of Hours so exceptional? Dutch translation and pilgrim’s badges are only the beginning! Watch the video to find out more…⁠ ⁠ • Book of Hours (use of Utrecht) ⁠ • The Netherlands, likely Zwolle, c. 1430 ⁠ • In Dutch, illuminated manuscript on parchment ⁠ • 7 miniatures by the workshop and/or followers of the Master of Zweder van Culemburg⁠ ⁠ History is cool: #buymedieval⁠ #medievalart #bibliophile #medievalmanuscript #buymedieval #medievalart #middleages #illuminatedmanuscript #illuminated #paris #chicago #newyork #medievalillumination #bookofhours #read #books #netherlands

Raccourcis

About Us

LES ENLUMINURES was founded in Paris in 1991 by Dr. Sandra Hindman and now has galleries in Paris, New York, and Chicago. The gallery handles highly specialized and exceptionally rare works of art from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The primary focus is on illuminated manuscripts, Books of Hours, miniatures, and medieval rings, but it also presents works of art, such as sculpture and stained-glass windows.

The gallery takes its name from the French word for "illuminations," or miniatures, which are hand-painted pictures in books written by hand, or manuscripts.

Please contact us to arrange an appointment or visit us at the New York gallery during exhibitions.

www.lesenluminures.com www.textmanuscripts.com