Beschreibung:

CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN, miniature on a leaf from a Book of Hours, ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM [central France, last quarter of 15th century] 155 x 114mm. Full-page architectural frame in liquid gold with two musicians and angels set within niches, with four lines of text and 3-line initial inhabited by bust-length figure in camaïeu d'or on a trompe l'oeil scroll below an interior within which the Virgin kneels before God enthroned, crowned by two hovering angels, a praying angel at her side and seraphim in the background; the verso with 15 lines in brown ink in a gothic bookhand, between two verticals and 16 horizontals ruled in red, text justification: 98 x 86mm, one- and two-line initials in blue, red and burnished gold with similar line-endings, panel border of sprays of blue and gold acanthus and naturalistic flowers interspersed with gold disks and black ink tendrils, with grotesque (a few small areas of rubbing or pigment loss, mainly affecting Virgin's robes, closely cropped at upper and lower margins). Framed. An attractive leaf marking the hour of compline in the Office of the Virgin, from what must have been a richly decorated manuscript. The miniature's compositional and stylistic features, such as the strong, bright palette, architectural surround, figure style and use of camaïeu d'or , suggest an origin in the Loire region. The interior is complex in its construction, the figures set closely within juxtaposed spaces, the room opening out to seraphim and sky beyond. The influence of Maître François and his followers is evident in the figure style and the intricate architectural features delineated in gold.