Seven leaves (2 illuminated bifolios and 3 single leaves) from a very fine Book of Hours attributable to the circle of the Master of Jean Rolin II.

Dimensions: c. 111 × 172 mm (bifolios); c. 110 × 85 mm (leaves, with slight variations). Two Bifolios and three single leaves ruled in red ink for a single column of fifteen lines (justification: 57 × 42 mm), later foliated in pencil in the lower right margins, written in a gothic book hand in black ink, with rubrics in red; bar and floral line-fillers in red and blue with white penwork; one- and two-line initials in gold on blue and red grounds. All pages enriched with Parisian full borders of ivy-leaf rinceaux, strewn flowers, fruits, and gold bezants on hairline stems, ONE ILLUMINATED MINIATURE of seven lines, depicting Saint Mark, seated at a slanted desk, writing the opening of his Gospel, accompanied by his winged lion, set within an interior. ONE FULL PAGE ILLUMINATED MINIATURE on a single leaf depicts the Virgin and Child enthroned. Some losses to paint and gold leaf in the miniatures and initials; staining and wear to margins and, in places, to the written space; else in good condition.

Executed in Paris circa 1450–1470, these two bifolios and three leaves were illuminated by an artist working in close proximity to the circle of the Master of Jean Rolin II, a prominent painter active between about 1445 and 1465. Named for his work in a deluxe Book of Hours commissioned by Cardinal Jean Rolin (Vienna, ÖNB Cod. 1857), the artist is considered a key figure in the refinement of mid-century Parisian illumination. His atelier synthesized earlier courtly traditions with the emergent realism of the later fifteenth century, influencing a generation of artists working for both ecclesiastical and noble patrons.

Two miniatures are included among this group of fragments. The first leaf (foliated “18”) features a finely executed miniature of Saint Mark, shown seated at a slanted writing desk within a domestic interior, penning the opening of his Gospel. At his feet appears his traditional symbol, the winged lion. This miniature originally introduced the Gospel Sequence of Saint Mark, one of the four Evangelist excerpts customarily placed at the beginning of the Hours of the Virgin in Latin Books of Hours.

On a bifolio (foliated “167” and “168”) a full-page miniature illustrates the Virgin and Child enthroned, introducing the French hymn Doulce dame de misericorde, which in this manuscript served as a prelude to a sequence of suffrages. The Virgin is depicted seated in majesty, the Christ Child on her lap, set within an architectural space highlighted with extensive gilding. The accompanying folio includes the Latin prayer Obsecro te, here written in the masculine form, potentially indicating the manuscript’s commissioner. A second bifolio (foliated “58” and “59”) preserves a portion of Lauds in the Hours of the Virgin, containing Psalms 148 and 150, and a Capitulum drawn from Ecclesiasticus (Sirach 24), and the incipit of the hymn Virgo Dei genitrix. Of the remaining two single leaves, one (foliated “94”) belongs to Lauds, while the other (foliated “117”) contains the opening of Prime, introduced by the standard versicle Deus in adiutorium meum intende and followed by Psalm 53.

The elegant figuration, richly gilded strewn-flower borders, and refined use of liquid gold exemplify the Parisian style shaped by the Master of Jean Rolin II. The same hand appears to have contributed to a complete Book of Hours (Use of Paris) sold at Christie’s on 23 November 2011 (lot 3), with notable similarities in the modeling of figures and physiognomy. The sophistication of composition, detail, and palette seen in these fragments reflects the enduring legacy of his workshop and its impact on Paris as a major center for luxury manuscript production.

Provenance
(1)Commissioned for a Parisian, possibly male, client with the Obsecro te (from first bifolium) in the masculine form.

(2) Early modern monogram, perhaps “A. de B,” inscribed on first leaf of calendar (sister leaf lot no. 43).

(3) Private Collection, California, USA.

Sister leaves
Sister leaves offered in lot nos. 41 and 43; a sister leaf with the same crown-arched miniature format was sold at Christie’s London (29 January 2015, lot 148), depicting St. Luke Painting the Virgin.

LITERATURE
Unpublished. For the Master of Jean Rolin II, see: François Avril and Nicole Reynaud, Les Manuscrits à peintures en France, 1440–1520, pp. 38–45; Jacqueline Schaefer, “Le Maître de Jean Rolin: Un atelier parisien vers 1450,” Revue de l’art 119 (1998), pp. 33–44; Eberhard König, Das Stundenbuch des Kardinals Jean Rolin, Munich, 2002.

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