Description
Extraordinary and beautiful facsimile edition produced in 2012 of the Leber 146 manuscript from the Rouen Municipal Library (France), the Life of the Virgin Mary, a masterpiece from the library of Francis I. A splendid 16th-century codex (dated c. 1548), fully illuminated with full-page illuminations and no margins, making it a small (but large and spectacular) French Renaissance painting museum. A 5-star in every great library!
This copy is UNIQUE and EXCLUSIVE. It has been rebound in embossed leather and has 100% natural parchment endpapers. The codex is presented as if you were actually holding an original manuscript. Codex, 26 x 34 cm. 58 pages, of which 46 are fully and extraordinarily illuminated.
It is accompanied by the complementary study book of the 2012 facsimile edition, written by specialists in the field, and also contains a translation of the texts into Spanish. Bound in a hardcover with a color-illustrated dust jacket and a ribbon insert, published in 2014, 25 x 32 cm. 100 color pages.
Both are presented in a slipcase, with a flat spine, in black leather stamped in gold, 29 x 37.5 x 5.5 cm.
The grandeur of the pages of this codex clearly indicates that it was created for a great monarch, Francis I, considered the emblematic monarch of the French Renaissance. His reign allowed for a significant development of the arts and letters in France.
The artist who carried out this ambitious project wanted to make clear on several of its pages who it was intended for. An example of this is the miniature, which features a portrait of the monarch, as well as that of the author kneeling, presenting the book to his king. This same miniature includes a dedication inscribed in gold letters. A new dedication appears on the second folio and, for the third time, at the end of the book.
Several of the miniatures in this beautiful codex feature the fleur-de-lis, as well as the coat of arms and the monarch’s emblem, which is, as is well known, a salamander on a brazier.
However, given the complexity and richness of its pages, this work could not be completed under the reign of Francis I, and it was not until 1548 that it was published, under Henry II as King of France.
Scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary illustrate the pages of this manuscript, from her birth to her Transition.
The artist adheres to the standards of the period in the execution of the miniatures. The regal magnificence of this work is once again evident in the artist’s treatment of curtains, tablecloths, and canopies, creating many of the settings surrounding the figure of the Virgin that recreate authentic palatial settings.
Each of its 46 pages stands as a unique example of French art from the mid-16th century, both for its originality and decorative exuberance and for the distinctive style of its scenes.
The Life of the Virgin Mary is a highly interesting example of the late French miniature, exemplifying, like few others, the diffusion of Fontainebleau models in French art, with all their fantasy and imagination.
This complete copy is in perfect condition, unique and exclusive to this presentation.
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