Book of the Hunt, 15th Century

 

Attributed to an anonymous Burgundian illuminator known as the Master of Girart de Roussillon, The Book of King Modus and Queen Ratio (after 1455) is a extense and luxury illustrated treatise on hunting. Who was King Modus? - The author patterned this work like the Greek philosophers, as a dialogue between a student and his teacher conversing on the hunting profession. The teacher in this case is embodied in the allegorical figure of King Modus.

 

 

 

Codex is illustrated with a total of 56 lively miniatures, that deserve special mention. Their rich golden decoration is not only intended to illustrate the instructions of the text but also to glorify the pompous lifestyle of the nobility. They intrigue us with a certain liveliness, the expert representation of animals and the authenticity of the luxurious vestments. The close association with nature was intended by the illuminators who attached great importance to authenticity in their depictions. The book thus displays the pinnacle of Flemish art in a work made for a prince of the high nobility." [source :: Adeva Fine Manuscripts]

Direct link to this codex & others related::

• Les Livres du Roy Modus et de la Royne Ratio is available online via the Royal Library of Belgium, link provided. I also include the link to the
• Le Livre de Chasse de Gaston Phebusthis, probably the most famous hunting manuscript in French.
  

The Brabant Chronicle, 14th Century ("Brabantsche Yeesten")

Believe it or not, this Jan Van Boendale's 14th century manuscript chronicle was discovered in the 19th century in a tobacconist shop… where was used as wrapping paper.

The chronicle is divided in five parts or books, of which the first four describe the history of Brabant before Jan Van Boendale lifetime (link goes to a poor author's BIO I could find in english), and the fifth is devoted to the three dukes contemporaneous with him: Jan I (d. 1294), Jan II (d. 1312), and Jan III (d. 135).

The scene showing the killing of the Duchess above is Marie of Brabant (link to wikipedia's BIO), who was beheaded by her husband for adultery- following the standard practice for women found guilty of adultery; however, proof of guilt of adultery on her part could never be validated. Maria was the fifth of six children born to Duke Henry by his first wife. Her mother Maria was a daughter of Philip of Swabia.

The Chronicle of Brabant (“Brabantsche Yeesten”) is owned and hosted by the Royal Library of Belgium (in French). This site I recently discovered has -in my opinion- a good digitalization project ongoing, excellent high res quality- but is purely online based.

The Brabant Chronicle is a voluminous work of around 16,000 lines and was not written in one effort. First version dates from 1316, the fifth from 1347, and a sixth version may have been written around 1351, each one providing an updated version of the history of the Duchy.