David Aubert
Encyclopedia
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saône which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's kingdom of West Franks...
. In addition to finely presented works, illuminated at Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
and other centres, for the Dukes Philip the Good and Charles the Bold and the Duchess Margaret of York
Margaret of York
Margaret of York – also by marriage known as Margaret of Burgundy – was Duchess of Burgundy as the third wife of Charles the Bold and acted as a protector of the Duchy after his death. She was a daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the sister of...
, he completed manuscripts for Antoine de Bourgogne
Antoine, bastard of Burgundy
Anthony , known to his contemporaries as "the bastard of Burgundy" or "the Grand Bastard - le grand bâtard" - was the natural son of Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, and one of his mistresses, Jeanne de Presle.-Life:...
and Philippe de Croy.
He was the son of the ducal accountant and calligrapher Jean Aubert, and his elder brother worked as an administrator, members of a family with a tradition of public service in the Burgundian court, though his first mention as a scribe in the ducal service dates to 1463, after which he was salaried as a ducal secretary until Philip's death, and seems to have followed, at least some of the time, the very mobile court around the Duchy. In 1469, following the death of Philip the Good, he was an inventory-taker of the late Duke's library. He then produced at least eight manuscripts for Margaret of York, though Antoine de Bourgogne became his main client.
Like his contemporaries Jean Miélot
Jean Miélot
Jean Miélot, also Jehan, was an author, translator, manuscript illuminator, scribe and priest, who served as secretary to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy from 1449 to Philip's death in 1467, and then to his son Charles the Rash. He also served as chaplain to Louis of Luxembourg, Count of St....
and Colard Mansion
Colard Mansion
Colard Mansion was a 15th century Flemish scribe and printer who worked together with William Caxton. He is known as the first printer of a book with copper engravings, and as the printer of the first books in English and French.-Biography:Colard Mansion was a central figure in the early printing...
, he seems to have run an atelier or workshop co-ordinating the various functions of producing de luxe manuscripts for the bibliophiles of the court circle. Despite being "one of the most studied Flemish scribes of (the period)", his personal role in producing many of the manuscripts signed by him remains uncertain - for example it is unclear whether, like Miélot and Mansion, he did the translations himself.
David Aubert was responsible for an Histoire de Charles Martel
Charles Martel
Charles Martel , also known as Charles the Hammer, was a Frankish military and political leader, who served as Mayor of the Palace under the Merovingian kings and ruled de facto during an interregnum at the end of his life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks. In 739 he was offered the...
that is now in the Bibliothèque royale, Brussels
Royal Library of Belgium
The Royal Library of Belgium is one of the most important cultural institutions in Belgium. The library has a history that goes back to the age of the Dukes of Burgundy...
, and a Perceforest
Perceforest
The prose romance of Perceforest with lyrical interludes of poetry, in six books, appears to have been composed in French in the Low Countries between 1330 and 1344...
and a Renaud de Montauban
Renaud de Montauban
Renaud de Montauban, was a fictional hero who was introduced to literature in a 12th century Old French chanson de geste also known as Les Quatre Fils Aymon . His exploits form part of the Doon de Mayence cycle of chansons...
(both in the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal
Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal
The Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal in Paris is one of the branches of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.-History:...
, Paris). He made two compilations, a Chronique et conquestes de Charlemaine (which includes a version of the tale of Fierabras
Fierabras
Fiërabras or Ferumbras is a Saracen knight appearing in several chansons de geste and other material relating to the Matter of France...
) begun for Jean de Créquy
Jean de Créquy
Jean de Créquy was born in 1395 into the military Créquy family, dating back to the 10th century, the son of Jean IV and Jeanne de Roye]] ....
but completed for Philip the Good, and a Chronique des empereurs. His manuscript of The Visions of Tondal is in the Getty Museum, heavily illustrated for Margaret of York by Simon Marmion
Simon Marmion
Simon Marmion was a French or Burgundian Early Netherlandish painter of panels and illuminated manuscripts...
. Forty-three extant manuscripts are signed by David Aubert, who was unusual in very often signing his work, and another twenty-seven are attributed to him.
Further reading
- Les Manuscrits de David Aubert, edited by Danielle Quéruel. Cultures et civilisations médiévales 18, Paris, 1999.
- Richard E. F. Straub, David Aubert, Escripvain et Clerc, Amsterdam, 1995 surveys his career.
External links
- Arlima List of works, in French, with short biography, partial details of surviving manuscripts and a bibliography.
- Turn the pages online of a Getty Museum manuscript by Aubert