FOLLOWER OF JEAN PICHORE (active Paris, c. 1490-1521)
Calendar leaf for February from a Book of Hours, Use of Chartres, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [France, Paris, c. 1520]

Lovely creamy parchment leaf with unusual borders of knotted ropes and a neat humanist script typical of the French Renaissance.

168 × 113 mm. Single leaf, ruled in drypoint for single column of seventeen lines (justification: 91 × 58 mm), written in a rounded humanist script, with calendar entries in red and brown ink, Saint Amandus and Saint Vedast (Feb. 6) indicate Chartres Use, single and two-line initials in liquid gold on alternating red and blue grounds, two-line initial with decorative gold penwork, framed within a striking trompe-l'œil border of knotted cord (Cordeliers borders), with terminal loops and painted shadows for dimensional effect. Slight thinning and tearing at inner margin from previous binding, else in good condition.

This illuminated manuscript leaf originates from a dispersed Book of Hours produced in Paris circa 1520. Evidence of its intended audience appears in the calendar: the feast of Saints Amandus and Vedast on February 6 is highlighted, saints especially venerated in the Chartres region during this period. This feature, combined with other local observances – for example, a sister leaf for October notes the dedication of Notre-Dame de Chartres on October 17 – strongly suggests a patron from Diocese of Chartres.

The decorative program of the leaf is both sumptuous and emblematic of the era’s Parisian style. Three one-line illuminated initials (gold or blue on contrasting red/blue grounds) punctuate the text and a larger two-line “KL” monogram (for Kalendas). An illusionistic border of entwined cordelière (knotted rope) frames the page, a motif associated with Parisian ateliers and particularly favored by Franciscan-affiliated patrons (the Cordeliers) in France. Written in a disciplined rounded script, the overall design reflects the high quality typical of early sixteenth-century Parisian Horae destined for discerning provincial patrons. Such features place the leaf in the orbit of Jean Pichore and Étienne Colaud, leading illuminators whose workshops produced elaborately decorated Horae for both fashionable Parisian clients and regional ecclesiastical elites.

Provenance
(1) Private Collection, California, USA.

Sister leaves
Although we have not yet identified the parent manuscript, sister leaves include: Private collection, United Kingdom (f. 10), Calendar page for October with Chartres entries; Private collection in Grimsby, United Kingdom (f. 48v), Antiphon and Chapter at None; and Charles Puckett, Akron, Ohio, inventory no. IM-7276: Hours of the Holy Spirit at Matins.

LITERATURE
Unpublished. For related literature see: Janet Backhouse, “Étienne Colaud and Sixteenth-Century Manuscript Illumination in Paris,” The British Library Journal 13, no. 1 (1987), pp. 1–16; Myra D. Orth, “Jean Pichore and the French Renaissance Workshop,” The J. Paul Getty Museum Journal 15 (1987), pp. 59–74; Olga Zvereva, “La production de Jean Pichore: entre manuscrits et imprimés,” in Artistes, artisans et production artistique au Moyen Âge, vol. 2, ed. Xavier Barral i Altet, Paris, 1990, pp. 475–490; Eberhard König, “Jean Pichore und die Werkstattmalerei in Paris um 1500,” in Mittelalterliche Buchmalerei: Forschungsperspektiven und Methoden, ed. Kurt Holter and Gude Suckale-Redlefsen, Wiesbaden, 1994, pp. 167–188; Caroline Zöhl, Jean Pichore: Buchmaler, Graphiker und Verleger in Paris um 1500, Turnhout, 2004; Myra D. Orth, Renaissance Manuscripts: The Sixteenth Century, 2 vols., London, 2005.

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

FOLLOWER OF JEAN PICHORE (active Paris, c. 1490-1521)
Calendar leaf for February from a Book of Hours, Use of Chartres, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [France, Paris, c. 1520]

Western Manuscripts and Miniatures

FOLLOWER OF JEAN PICHORE (active Paris, c. 1490-1521)Calendar leaf for February from a Book of Hours, Use of Chartres, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [France, Paris, c. 1520]

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FOLLOWER OF JEAN PICHORE (active Paris, c. 1490-1521)
Calendar leaf for February from a Book of Hours, Use of Chartres, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [France, Paris, c. 1520]