Exemplifying the refined elegance of mid-fifteenth-century Parisian courtly production by an illuminator whose real significance has emerged with recent research.

190 × 140 mm. Four gold, line-fillers in red, blue, and white on highly burnished gold grounds, one-line and two-line initials throughout in gold on blue and burgundy grounds with fine white penwork; three-line initials in gold introducing major textual divisions, capitals touched in yellow, each leaf surrounded by full borders composed of conventional blue and gold acanthus interwoven with sprays of naturalistic flowers, fruit, and seed pods on delicate black hairline stems, punctuated with burnished gold ivy leaves. Leaves vibrant, in excellent condition.

These leaves derive from a Book of Hours produced in Paris ca. 1440–1460 by Jean Haincelin and the so-called Master of Saint Stephen. Formerly known as the Dunois Master and also as the Chief Associate of the Bedford Master, Jean Haincelin is most likely the son of Haincelin de Haguenau, court illuminator of Louis, duc de Guyenne. The Master of Saint Stephen is his most able collaborator and follower. The manuscript reflects the collaboration between two of the most accomplished illuminators working in the Parisian milieu during the reign of Charles VII and, in this instance, for a patron in Rouen, as suggested by the liturgical use. Both artists were closely associated with the court and produced manuscripts of exceptional refinement for high-ranking ecclesiastical and aristocratic patrons. Among the most celebrated examples of their work are the Dunois Hours (London, British Library, Yates Thompson MS 3) and the Hours of Étienne Chevalier (Chantilly, Musée Condé, MS 71). The Master of Saint Stephen, a member of Haincelin’s workshop, was named by Catherine Reynolds in 2006 after the Life of Saint Stephen miniature in the Salisbury Breviary (Paris, BnF, MS lat. 17294, f. 529v). The artist is also discussed by Elliot Adam in his unpublished thesis (2023, pp. 379-80)

These fragments exemplify the courtly elegance of these masters, distinguished by rubrics in liquid gold, a vibrant and harmonious color palette, and meticulously executed foliate borders. The decorative program includes illusionistic potted flowers placed within gold-structured compartments—an especially refined motif not commonly encountered outside high-end commissions. The interplay of acanthus, floral sprays, and gilded ivy on black filaments further underscores the manuscript’s luxurious production. The present leaves preserve key devotional texts central to the Book of Hours. Folio 81 contains portions of Compline from the Hours of the Virgin. Folio 88 includes selections from the Penitential Psalms, notably Psalm 6. Folios 102 and 118 preserve portions of Matins and Lauds from the Office of the Dead.

Provenance
(1) From a Book of Hours made for the Use of Rouen, rebound in the eighteenth century with an unidentified French(?) armorial bookplate.

(3) Private Collection, California, USA.

Parent manuscript and sister leaves
Parent manuscript sold at Sotheby’s London, 5 December 2000, lot 62, misbound and missing many leaves (including all but two of the miniatures), illuminated by the Dunois Master and his follower the St. Stephen Master, and broken up shortly thereafter. A gathering of text leaves was sold at Sotheby’s London, 19 June 2001, lot 13; several other text leaves were sold at Christie’s London, 11 July 2002, lot 5; and a single text leaf was sold at Christie’s London, 15 December 2021, lot 16; two miniatures sold at Christie’s London, 9 December 2020, lots 27 and 28; Bloomsbury London, 6 December 2017, lots 63–64, two text leaves; Bloomsbury London, 2 July 2019, lot 34, a single text leaf.

LITERATURE
Unpublished; for the Dunois Master and Master of Saint Stephen see: François Avril and Nicole Reynaud, Les Manuscrits à peintures en France, 1440–1520, Paris, 1993, pp. 32–38; Catherine Reynolds, “The Workshop of the Master of the Duke of Bedford: Definitions and Identities,” in Patrons, Authors and Workshops. Books and Book Production in Paris around 1400, ed. G. Croenen and P. Ainsworth, Louvain, Peeters, 2006, pp. 437-472, especially pp. 450-458; Gregory Clark, Art in a Time of War. The Master of Morgan 453 and Manuscript Illumination in Paris during the English Occupation (1419-1435), Turnhout, 2016; Elliot Adam, “De blanc et de noir: La grisaille dans les arts de la couleur en France à la fin du Moyen Age (1430-1515),” PhD diss. Sorbonne, 2023; Sandra Hindman and Gaia Grizzi, Manuscript Paintings and the Art of Collecting, 2025, no. 20.

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