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[Le Comte d’Artois] Book of the Most Valorous Count Artois, and of His Wife, Daughter of the Count of Boulloigne Livre du tres cheualereux conte d’Artois et de sa femme fille du conte de Boulloigne
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[Le Comte d’Artois] Book of the Most Valorous Count Artois, and of His Wife, Daughter of the Count of Boulloigne Livre du tres cheualereux conte d’Artois et de sa femme fille du conte de Boulloigne

[Le Comte d’Artois]
Book of the Most Valorous Count Artois, and of His Wife, Daughter of the Count of Boulloigne
Livre du tres cheualereux conte d’Artois et de sa femme fille du conte de Boulloigne

Date: ca. 1450
Dimensions:
26.9 × 19.5 × 4.5 cm (10 9/16 x 7 11/16 x 1 3/4 in.)
Medium: Illuminated manuscript on vellum
Credit Line: Bequest of Archer M. Huntington, 1955.
Place Made:France
Period: Medieval
Culture: French
Not on View
Description[Le Comte d’Artois]
Book of the Most Valorous Count Artois, and of His Wife, Daughter of the Count of Boulloigne
Livre du tres cheualereux conte d’Artois et de sa femme fille du conte de Boulloigne
France, ca. 1450
Illuminated manuscript on vellum, 26.9 × 19.5 × 4.5 cm New York, The Hispanic Society of America, B1152

PROVENANCE: Rudolf, Margrave of Hochberg-Suasenberg (1427–1487); Marguerite, Countess of Flanders, 1657; Paris, Bibliothèque du Roi (?), 1783; J. Barrois, before 1849; earls of Ashburnham, 1849–1901; Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 1901; Théophile Belin, Paris, 1901?; Archer M. Huntington, New York; bequest of Archer M. Huntington to The Hispanic Society of America, 1955

This richly illustrated manuscript is one of three extant manuscript copies, all of which were produced during the 15th century in France. Written by an anonymous author ca. 1450, the text draws on both folkloric and literary sources (Decameron, by Giovanni Boccaccio [1313–1375], has been suggested as a possible influence), and appears to have enjoyed a certain degree of popularity. The plot, as is so often the case in this type of tale, is rather convoluted. Philippe, the Count Artois, abandons his wife when it appears that she is unable to bear children and sets off in pursuit of chivalric prowess. Before his departure, he promises that he will return if she can fulfill three tasks: getting herself pregnant by him, taking his favorite horse, and obtaining his finest diamond, all of which must be accomplished without his realizing it. Upon discovering that her husband, Philippe, is at the court of the king of Castile, where he also has designs on the king’s daughter, the wife tricks him into a liaison (he thinks she is the king’s daughter) and conceives his child. Still unaware of his lover’s true identity, Philippe also gives her his horse and diamond. Having thus fulfilled the tasks set her, the wife sends her ambassadors to the Count who, chastened by his experience, returns to take up his place with his wife once more. The manuscript ends with an illustration of the baptism ceremony of the Count’s son, his much-desired heir.

The manuscript comprises 114 folios and includes 83 finely crafted vignettes illustrating episodes from nearly every stage of the narrative. All are exquisite in their detail and are framed within rinceaux borders populated with a mixture of birds, insects and animals together with zoomorphic figures (e.g. a snail-man) and other whimsical creations. Each chapter begins with an ornate, illuminated initial. The text is written in black, with rubrics, in a French bâtarde hand. It is bound in a stamped, red satin velvet, possibly French from the 19th century.

The well-documented provenance of this manuscript also permits us to assign a more precise date for its production. On the basis of the repeated initials “RM” that appear on several pages of the manuscript, we can assume that the manuscript was commissioned by, or on behalf of Rudolf IV, Margrave of Hoch-Sausenberg (1427–1487), and his wife Marguerite (1422–1458). If so, then this would place the production date of the manuscript as ca. 1450. JO

Texto en Español:

Este manuscrito, cuajado de ilustraciones, es una de las tres copias existentes, todas ellas producidas durante el siglo XV en Francia. Escrito por un autor anónimo hacia 1450, el texto bebe de fuentes folclóricas y literarias (se ha barajado el Decamerón de Giovanni Boccaccio [1313-1375] como una posible influencia) y parece que gozó de cierta popularidad. La trama, como ocurre a menudo en este tipo de relatos, es enrevesada: Felipe, conde de Artois, abandona a su esposa cuando descubre que no puede tener hijos, y parte en búsqueda de hazañas caballerescas. Antes de su marcha, promete regresar si su esposa cumple tres encargos: concebir un hijo suyo, conseguir su caballo favorito y obtener su mejor diamante; en los tres casos, sin que él se dé cuenta. Su esposa, cuando descubre que su marido, Felipe, está en la corte de Castilla y pretende a la hija del rey, urde una farsa de matrimonio en la que hace creer al conde que ella es la hija del rey, y así concibe a su hijo. Desconocedor de la verdadera identidad de su amante, Felipe también le concede su caballo y su diamante. Su esposa, una vez ha cumplido con los encargos, envía a sus embajadores al conde, quien, escarmentado por el incidente, vuelve para ocupar de nuevo su lugar junto a su esposa. El manuscrito termina con una ilustración del bautizo del hijo del conde, heredero anhelado.

El manuscrito consta de ciento catorce folios e incluye ochenta y tres viñetas elaboradas con distinción, que ilustran episodios de casi todas las fases de la narración. Todos los detalles son de gran exquisitez y están enmarcados por unas orlas de hojas frondosas, pobladas de toda suerte de aves, insectos y animales, junto con figuras zoomórficas (por ejemplo, un caracol) y otras creaciones caprichosas. Cada capítulo comienza con una inicial historiada. El texto está escrito en negro, con rúbricas, en letra bastardilla francesa. Está encuadernado en terciopelo rojo satinado y estampado, posiblemente francés, del siglo XIX.

La procedencia bien documentada de este manuscrito también permite determinar una fecha más precisa de su producción. Con base en las iniciales repetidas «RM» que aparecen en varias páginas del manuscrito, podemos suponer que se trata de un encargo de, o en nombre de Rudolf IV, margrave de Hoch-Sausenberg (1427-1487), y su esposa Marguerite (1422-1458). De ser así, la fecha de producción del manuscrito sería en torno a 1450. JO’N

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
BARROIS ( ED. ) 1837 J. Barrois (ed.), Le livre du très-chevalereux comte d’Artois & de sa femme, fille du comte de Boulogne. Paris: Techener, 1837
SEIGNEURET ( ED. ) 1966 Jean-Charles Seigneuret (ed.), Le Roman du Comte d’Artois (xve siècle). Geneva: Droz, 1966
FAULHABER 1983 Charles B. Faulhaber, Medieval Manuscripts in the Library of The Hispanic Society of America: Religious, Legal, Scientific, Historical, and Literary Manuscripts. New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 1983, pp. 609-12, no. 700
BROWN- GRANT 2002 Rosalind Brown-Grant, “Learning to be a Good Husband: Competing Masculine Identities in the Roman du Comte d’Artois,” Cahiers de Recherches Médiévales et Humanistes, 9 (2002), pp. 2–16
CODDING AND O’NEILL ( EDS. ) 2006 Mitchell A. Codding and John O’Neill (eds.), The Hispanic Society of America. Illuminated Manuscripts. New York: The Hispanic Society of America, 2006, pp. 26-27
CODDING ( ED. ) 2017 Mitchell A. Codding (ed.), Tesoros de la Hispanic Society: Visiones del mundo hispánico. Madrid, New York: Museo Nacional del Prado, The Hispanic Society of America, 2017, pp. 142-43, no. 44
CODDING ( ED. ) 2018 Mitchell A. Codding (ed.), Tesoros de la Hispanic Society of America. Mexico City, New York: Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, The Hispanic Society of America, 2018, pp. 130-31, no. 44

Accession Number: B1152
In Collection(s)