Master of Boucicaut
Encyclopedia
Miniature (illuminated manuscript)
The word miniature, derived from the Latin minium, red lead, is a picture in an ancient or medieval illuminated manuscript; the simple decoration of the early codices having been miniated or delineated with that pigment...
active in the first quarter of the fifteenth century, particularly active between 1400 and 1430 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He worked in the style of the International Gothic
International Gothic
International Gothic is a phase of Gothic art which developed in Burgundy, Bohemia, France and northern Italy in the late 14th century and early 15th century...
.
The appellation for this artist refers to his illustrated Book of Hours
Book of Hours
The book of hours was a devotional book popular in the later Middle Ages. It is the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript. Like every manuscript, each manuscript book of hours is unique in one way or another, but most contain a similar collection of texts, prayers and...
for Jean II Le Meingre Boucicaut)
Jean Le Maingre
Jean II Le Maingre , called Boucicaut was marshal of France and a knight renowned for his military skill.He was the son of marshal Jean I Le Maingre, also called Boucicaut...
, Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
, which was created between 1410 and 1415. This Book of Hours is currently in the Musée Jacquemart-André
Musée Jacquemart-André
The Musée Jacquemart-André is a public museum located at 158 Boulevard Haussmann in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. The museum was created from the private home of Édouard André and Nélie Jacquemart to display the art they collected during their lives.-History:Edouard André, the scion of a...
in Paris.
The Master of Boucicaut was a contemporary of the Limbourg brothers
Limbourg brothers
The Limbourg brothers, or in Dutch Gebroeders van Limburg , were famous Dutch miniature painters from the city of Nijmegen. They were active in the early 15th century in France and Burgundy, working in the style known as International Gothic...
and with them belonged to the most important and influential illuminators of manuscripts from the period in Northern Europe. He was probably the head of a productive workshop or studio in which talented artists worked. They took care of commissions for the court, the aristocracy and wealthy citizens. It is known that the artist also collaborated with the equally active Bedford Master
Bedford Master
The Bedford Master was an manuscript illuminator active in Paris during the fifteenth century. He is named for the work he did on two books illustrated for John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford between 1415 and 1435. One is the Bedford Hours, a Book of Hours, in the British Library; the other, a...
in Paris.
The Master of Boucicaut was among the first in European art which is immersed in the display of light and a deepening of perspective, based partly on developments in Italian painting.
Based on style, many paintings and manuscripts attributed to the artist. He is sometimes associated with the Flemish painter
Flemish painting
Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century. Flanders delivered the leading painters in Northern Europe and attracted many promising young painters from neighbouring countries. These painters were invited to work at foreign courts and had a Europe-wide influence...
, miniaturist, and architect Jacques Coene.