Table Of ContentTHE
MIROIR
HISTORIAL
OF
JEAN
LE
BON
The
Leiden
Manuscript
and
its
Related
Copies
Volume
1
TEXT
Claudine
A.
Chavannes-‐Mazel
Leiden
University
1988
Preface
to
Claudine
A.
Chavannes-‐Mazel,
The
Miroir
historial
of
Jean
II
le
Bon
and
its
related
Copies,
dissertation
Leiden
University
1988
Amsterdam,
2013-‐14-‐10
Dear
reader,
This
is
a
pdf
of
my
dissertation
written
between
1983
and
1987.
I
wrote
it
in
Word
1
and
Word
1a,
and
saved
it
on
single-‐sided
floppy
disks,
later
on
double-‐
sided
ones
which
could
hold
as
much
as
800
Kb.
A
row
of
those
floppies
was
my
proud
result
when
my
professors
gave
their
‘nihil
obstat’
in
1988
and
I
was
allowed
to
print
it
in
its
entirety.
I
put
all
the
documents
together
in
order
to
get
the
page
numbers
right
and
have
the
footnotes
numbering
continuously,
and
waited
by
the
printer
during
the
night
until
it
had
finished,
since
it
was
impossible
to
save
this
enormous
document.
Cambridge
University
Press
agreed
to
publish
it
and
I
spent
many
years
reworking
the
text
for
publication.
I
kept
updating
and
never
finished.
It
took
my
son
several
of
my
old
and
miraculously
still
functioning
Macs
to
convert
the
several
dozen
1988
files
from
Microsoft
Word
1
to
Word
3
to
Word
5.1.
He
printed
them
to
PostScript
files
to
preserve
the
spacing
and
pagination
of
the
original:
it
seems
that
2013
Palatino
spaces
differently
to
1988
Palatino.
Using
a
Twentieth
Anniversary
Mac
from
1997
that
reads
800Kb
and
1.44
Mb
floppies
and
connecting
an
external
usb
floppy
drive
to
a
MacBook
from
2006,
he
got
the
files
onto
a
modern
Mac
and
combined
all
the
chapters
and
annexes
to
a
single
pdf.
Vol
1:
TEXT.
The
text
is
the
original
1988
version.
It
may
contain
some
outdated
views
and
certainly
contains
some
typing
mistakes.
I
may
or
may
not
publish
a
revised
edition
at
some
point.
I
wrote
two
articles
on
the
manuscripts
in
1990:
-‐
C.A. Chavannes-Mazel, ‘Problems in Translation, Transcription and Iconography:
The Miroir historial Books 1-8’, in: Vincent de Beauvais. Intentions et Réceptions
d’une œuvre encyclopédique au Moyen Age (éd. M. Paulmier-Foucart, S. Lusignan,
A. Nadeau), Paris/St Laurent 1990, pp. 345-374, Figs. 1-9;
- C.A. Chavannes-Mazel, ‘The Expansion of Rubrics for the Sake of the Layout:
Mise-en-page as Evidence for a Particular Workshop?’ in: Medieval Book
Production: Assessing the Evidence. Papers from the Seminar in the History of the
Book to 1500, Oxford 1988, (ed. L.L. Brownrigg), Los Altos Hills 1990, pp. 117-131,
Figs. 1-12, Col.Plates A and B.
and
one
article
on
royal
patronage
of
historical
texts
in
Dutch:
- C.A. Chavannes-Mazel, ‘De boeken van Jeanne de Bourgogne, koningin van
Frankrijk (r. 1328-1349)’, in J.-C. Klamt en K. Veelenturf eds, Representatie:
kunsthistorische bijdragen over vorst, staatsmacht en beeldende kunst, opgedragen aan
Robert W. Scheller, 2004, pp. 84-110.
Since
then,
remarkably
little
has
changed
with
regard
to
the
manuscripts.
New
is
the
discovery
of
two
fragments
of
part
of
A4:
Tours
BM
A.d.-‐I(002),
ff
C
and
D.
The
rubric
IIIIxx
et
VIII
de
la
faim
et
de
la
pestilence
de
celi
temps
places
it
as
part
of
Book
XXVII-‐XXVIII.
For
a
quick
update,
please
consult
the
articles
by
Laurent
Brun
and
Mattia
Cavagna
(‘Pour
une
edition
du
Miroir
historial
de
Jean
de
Vignay’,
Romania
124
[2006],
378-‐428),
and
the
entries
in
the
exhibition
catalogue
by
Elisabeth
Morrison
and
Anne
D.
Hedeman
Imaging
the
Past
in
France
1250-‐1500
of
the
Paul
Getty
Museum
2010,
nrs
17
and
33
(Hedeman
accidently
attributes
my
findings
to
someone
else).
For
an
entire
overview,
see:
http://www.arlima.net/il/jean_de_vignay.html
Vol
2:
ILLUSTRATIONS.
With
regard
to
the
illustrations:
that
was
easier
to
do.
About
80%
could
quickly
be
found
online,
in
colour
and
for
free,
instead
of
the
old
black
and
white
photographs
which
once
cost
me
a
fortune.
THE MIROIR HISTORIAL OF JEAN LE BON
The Leiden Manuscript and its Related Copies
TEXT
Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van Doctor
aan de Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden,
op gezag van de Rector Magnificus Dr.J.J.M. Beenakker,
hoogleraar in de faculteit der Wiskunde en Natuurwetenschappen,
volgens besluit van het College van Dekanen te verdedigen
op donderdag 23 juni1988 te klokke 16.15 uur
door
Claudine Albertine Chavannes-Mazel
geboren te 's-Gravenhage in 1949
Promotiecomissie
Prof.dr. P.P.V. van Moorsel,
Prof.dr. P.F.J. Obbema promotoren
Prof.dr. J.P. Gumbert referent
Prof.dr. A.W.A. Boschloo lid
Dit onderzoek werd mede mogelijk gemaakt door een reissubsidie van de
Stichting voor Zuiver Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek.
THE MIROIR HISTORIAL OF JEAN LE BON.
The Leiden Manuscript and its related copies
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION p. 1
PART I: HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF THE MIROIR HISTORIAL
1. TheSpeculum historiale and Vincent of Beauvais, its Author p. 5
1.1. Introduction
1.2. Contents
1.3. Reception
1.4. The Douai-version
2. The Manuscripts of the First Books of the Speculum historiale p. 12
2.1. Introduction
2.2. Origine and Provenance
2.3. Illumination
3. The Miroir historial and Jean de Vignay, the Translator p. 16
3.1. Introduction
3.2. Date of the Translation
3.3. The Translation Process
3.4. Reception and Influence
PART II: THE MIROIR HISTORIAL OF JEAN LE BON, AND THE
COPY, PRESUMABLY OF JEANNE DE BOURGOGNE p. 25
1. Description of the Oldest Manuscripts: Leiden Un.Libr.,
Voss.G.G. Fol. 3A; Paris BN fr. 316, and their Sequels. p. 27
2. History of Scholarship p. 29
2.1. The Leiden and Arsenal Manuscripts (A1, A2)
2.2. The Paris and Baltimore Manuscripts (J1, J3).
3. Genesis and Provenance of the Leiden Miroir historial p. 37
3.1. Preparation
3.2. Script and Lay-out
3.3. The Corrector
3.4. Pen-drawn Initials
3.5. Painted Initials and Marginal Decoration
3.6. Illustrations
3.6.1. Style
3.6.2. Iconography
3.7. Binding
3.8. Provenance
4. The Second Volume of the Leiden Miroir: Paris, Bibl. de l'Arsenal
MS 5080 p. 61
vi
4.1. Text
4.2. Illustrations
4.2.1. Style
4.2.2. Iconography
4.3. Provenance
5. The "oldest" Manuscript of the Miroir historial: Paris BN fr. 316
5.1. Structure of the Text p. 64
5.1.1. Text and Layout
5.1.2. Rubrics
5.2. Illustrations
5.2.1. Style: The Fauvel Master and the Papeleu Master
5.2.2. Iconography
5.3. Provenance
5.3.1. A Presentation Copy?
5.3.2. Later Owners
5.4. Third volume: Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery W 140.
PART III: OTHER EXTANT MANUSCRIPTS OF THE MIROIR
HISTORIAL p. 78
1. History and Provenance p. 79
1.1. Manuscripts Known from French Royal Inventories
1.2. Extant Manuscripts
1.3. Description of the Extant Manuscripts in Chronological Order
2. Grouping of the Manuscripts, Books 1-8: Text p. 114
2.1. General Remarks
2.2. Division into Volumes
2.3. Rubrics of J1 and Corrections in A1
2.4. Examples from the Story of Joseph and Aseneth.
3. Comparison of the Manuscripts, Books 1-8: Illustration p. 123
3.1. General Remarks
3.2. The Joseph and Aseneth Story
3.2.1. Tale
3.2.2. Illustrations
3.2.3. Evaluation of the Cycle
3.3. Manuscripts not Containing the Joseph and Aseneth Cycle
3.3.1. Miniatures of C1
3.3.2. Miniatures of E
4. The Question of the one Miniaturist Illustrating the Same Text twice
p. 144
PART IV: THE FRONTISPIECE OF THE MIROIR HISTORIAL p. 147
1. Historical Background of the Frontispiece p. 147
2. Description of the Frontispiece of the Leiden Miroir historial p. 156
3. Opening Miniatures in other Manuscripts of the
Miroir historial p. 157
vii
3.1. Double Composition: Identical Image
3.2. Double Composition: Comparable Image
3.3. Single Composition
3.4. Other Frontispieces
4. Provenance of the Iconography of the Frontispiece of the Miroir
historial. p. 167
4.1. Manuscripts with Translations by Jean de Vignay
4.1.1. Translations for Jeanne de Bourgogne
4.1.2. Translations for Philippe VI de Valois
4.1.3. Translations for Jean le Bon
4.1.4. Translations for Unknown Patrons
4.2. Manuscripts of the First Books of theSpeculum historiale
4.3. Conclusions
CONCLUSIONS p. 173
APPENDICES:
A. Manuscripts of the First Books of the Speculum
historiale p. 179
B. Illustrations of the First Books of the Speculum
historiale p. 183
C. Manuscripts of the Miroir historial p. 189
D. Manuscripts with Translations by Jean de Vignay p. 195
E. The Story of Joseph and Aseneth, According to
Leiden Un.Libr., Voss.G.G. Fol. 3A, ff. 59v-62v p. 211
BIBLIOGRAPHY p. 217
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS p. 233
SAMENVATTING p. 241
INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS p. 247
Curriculum vitae
Introduction 1
INTRODUCTION
The Miroir historial of King Jean II le Bon (1319-1364) at Leiden
University is an outstanding work of art. This study owes a great deal to
this everlasting truism, but it does not deal primarily with beauty, or
even with the history of art as such.
The prime objective of this study is to treat a manuscript as an entity
and to give credit to the function the miniatures were originally
designed to perform: that is, to illustrate a text. Until recently, studies on
manuscripts aimed at getting the specialist world to know them. Every
specialist ploughed his own patch: the philologist and historian wrote
about text and provenance, the paleographer about lettering and
parchment, the art historian about iconography and style.
A more promising approach, strongly propagated by Delaissé and
recently endorsed by Otto Pächt,1 ought be to treat all different aspects of
a manuscript as a whole and to consider them together. Ideally, all
specialists should be gathered around the book in order to contribute
their specific insights. In modern catalogues such an attempt is
sometimes undertaken, but even they are all too often merely
descriptive. And often art historians write about style and iconography,
search for prototypes, and prepare endless lists of miniatures of one
specific text or by one specific master. However, one has to realize that if
by modern standards monumental paintings are not isolated works of
art, miniatures are even less so. They should be placed in a broader
context that is so easily at hand: the manuscript they form part of and
the stories they illustrate.
1 -L.M.J. Delaissé, Towards a History of the Medieval Book, in: Codicologica I: Théorie
et principes, (ed. A. Gruys & J.P. Gumbert), Leiden 1976, [Litterae textuales] pp. 75-83. A
revised version of a contribution of the same title in Miscellanea André Combes II, Rome
1967, pp. 27-39; -O. Pächt, Book Illumination in the Middle Ages, London 1986; two years
earlier published in German under the title: Buchmalerei des Mittelalters, München
1984. Their ideas have been applied by, for instance, R. Schmidt-Wiegand, Text - Bild -
Interpretation. Untersuchungen zu den Bilderhandschriften des Sachsenspiegels,
München 1986, and to a certain degree by S. Hindman, Christine de Pizan's "Epistre
Othéa". Painting and Politics at the Court of France, Toronto 1986.
