CIRCLE OF MAÎTRE FRANÇOIS (FRANCOIS BARBIER) (active Paris, c. 1460-80)
Bifolium from a Book of Hours, with miniatures of Saint Michael and Saint John the Baptist, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Paris, c. 1460–70]

A beautiful example of the artistry of Maître François, one of the most influential manuscript illuminators of the fifteenth century.

161 × 234 mm. Single bifolium, ruled in red ink for a single column of fifteen lines (justification: 90 × 55 mm), written in a Gothic bookhand in brown ink, rubrics in red, line-fillers in rose and blue with delicate white penwork and gold caps, one- and two-line initials in burnished gold on rose and blue grounds, ornamented with white filigree, text supported by horizontal gold bars and framed by elaborate panel borders of hairline vines with gold ivy leaves, acanthus sprays, colored flowers, and fruit, TWO PAINTED MINIATURES of seven lines each, one depicting Saint John the Baptist within a gold frame, the other showing Saint Michael within a gold architectural surround. Minor soiling to lower margins, pigments and gold remain vibrant and well preserved. The bifolium is housed in an elegant double-sided gilt frame with a repeating scallop-shell motif in raised relief, richly finished in gold leaf.

This finely illuminated bifolium from the Suffrages of a Book of Hours with miniatures on the recto and the verso originates from the circle of Maître François (François Le Barbier), one of the most prolific and stylistically influential illuminators active in Paris during the third quarter of the fifteenth century. Thanks to documentary research by Mathieu Deldicque, Maître François is now generally accepted as identifiable with François Barbier père, (for him and for his son, Jacques de Besançon, see Deldicque 2014); an oeuvre of around fifty manuscripts has been reconstructed through comparison to his single documented work from 1475: a large-format, two-volume La Cité de Dieu, Raoul de Presles’ vernacular translation of St. Augustine (Paris, Bib. Sainte-Genevieve, MS 246). Of these, around thirty are Books of Hours: the master’s prolific workshop produced a considerable number for prestigious patrons between 1460 and 1490 and the commercial success of his workshop in the thriving market in Paris is evident in the number of followers reproducing his compositions. The present leaf is probably by one of his close collaborators.

Hallmarks of Maître François’s style are the clear tones, the use of gold highlighting, the tiny brush strokes with stippling and cross hatching, the touches of gold on rounded trees, the darker fleshtones of indivdualised male faces (especially John), and the delicate figures gently posed in interior and exterior settings. Compare, for example, one of his signature manuscripts, the Wharncliffe Hours (Melbourne, National Gallery of Victoria, MS 1072-3). The present leaf has parallels to a pair of leaves depicting Saints Matthew and Mark (Bonhams London, 22 June 2021, lot 9), although further research is needed to verify whether they come from the same parent manuscript.

Provenance
(1) Private collection, USA.

Sister leaves
Presently no sister leaves have been identified.

LITERATURE
Unpublished; for the Maître François see: Charles Sterling, “François Le Barbier père et fils,” in Mélanges offerts à René Huyghe, Paris, 1964, pp. 331–36; François Avril and Nicole Reynaud, Les manuscrits à peintures en France, 1440–1520, Paris, 1993, pp. 100–109; Mathieu Deldicque, “L’enluminure à Paris à la fin du XVe siècle: Maître François, le Maître de Jacques de Besançon et Jacques de Besançon identifiés?” Revue de l’art 183 (2014), pp. 9–18.

We thank Senior Consultant Sandra Hindman and Peter Bovenmyer for their assistance in preparing this sale and Elliot Adam for consultation on this entry.

This lot is located in Chicago.

Christopher Brink

Associate Vice President, Head of Sale, Senior Specialist, Books & Manuscripts

[email protected]312.334.4217

Darren Winston

SVP, Head of Department, Books and Manuscripts, Philadelphia

[email protected]267.414.1247

Darren Winston, Senior Vice President at Freeman’s, has served as Head of Department for Books & Manuscripts, Philadelphia, since 2018. He has been a trustee of the Rosenbach Museum and Library since 2022, is a member of The Manuscript Society, The Bibliographical Society of America, and Philadelphia’s Philobiblon Club.

Raised in northern New Jersey, Darren moved to New York City in 1988 and began his career there as a bookseller in 1995. He spent the next 18 years selling to private clients and at East Coast book fairs. In 2003 he moved with his young family to Sharon, Connecticut where, in 2009, he opened his own bookshop. Darren Winston, Bookseller offered rare and vintage books, prints, fine art, and more, and hosted over 50 book signings and art shows. He was a trustee and, later, Board President, of the Sharon Historical Society, and for six years a trustee of Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Darren has hosted the radio program "Darren Winston's Book Report" for NPR-affiliate WHDD since 2009, appeared in the 2014 book-themed documentary The Paper Trail, and in 2024 he joined Antiques Roadshow as a books and manuscripts appraiser. From 1999 to 2005, Darren was the buyer and consultant to the Fine and Rare Books Department at Asprey, the British luxury goods company, at its New York headquarters. While there he spearheaded various in-store events including readings by Salman Rushdie and Dominick Dunne.

In 1993, Darren was hired as a Creative Consultant to Columbia Records, where he assisted in the repackaging of their 12-record Aerosmith back catalogue. He later sold his extensive collection of Aerosmith memorabilia, which he began amassing at the age of 14, directly to the band.

Darren now lives on the Main Line, outside Philadelphia, with his wife, two children, and dog. The family travels frequently to his wife's native England and Scotland. When not bookselling, he plays guitar in Pumped, an Aerosmith tribute band. Darren also appears on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

Sandra Hindman

Senior Consultant, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscript Illumination

[email protected]312 280 1212

Sandra Hindman, Senior Consultant, is a leading expert in Medieval and Renaissance manuscript illumination. Professor Emerita of Art History at Northwestern University, Professor Hindman is author, coauthor or editor of more than twelve books, as well as numerous articles on the history and reception of illuminated manuscripts and on medieval rings. She is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, the National Antique and Art Dealers Association of America, the Syndicat National de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne, and the Syndicat National des Antiquaires,The Grolier Club and the Caston Club. In 2023, the French Republic named Sandra Hindman a Chevaliere de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters). She is the owner and CEO of Les Enluminures Paris Chicago and New York founded in 1991.

Western Manuscripts and Miniatures

CIRCLE OF MAÎTRE FRANÇOIS (FRANCOIS BARBIER) (active Paris, c. 1460-80)
Bifolium from a Book of Hours, with miniatures of Saint Michael and Saint John the Baptist, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Paris, c. 1460–70]

Western Manuscripts and Miniatures

CIRCLE OF MAÎTRE FRANÇOIS (FRANCOIS BARBIER) (active Paris, c. 1460-80) Bifolium from a Book of Hours, with miniatures of Saint Michael and Saint John the Baptist, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Paris, c. 1460–70]

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CIRCLE OF MAÎTRE FRANÇOIS (FRANCOIS BARBIER) (active Paris, c. 1460-80)
Bifolium from a Book of Hours, with miniatures of Saint Michael and Saint John the Baptist, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Paris, c. 1460–70]