The Book of the conquests and deeds of Alexander, produced upon the request of the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good (1396-1467) is one of the most beautiful manuscripts from the Dutuit collection and conserved in the Petit Palais museum.
Middle AgesIts author, Jean Wauquelin, writer at the Burgundian court, was inspired by a French 12th-century poem recounting the exploits of Alexander the Great in the style of a chivalric romance.
The manuscript is adorned with 204 miniatures by five different illuminators, including Willem Vrelant, a prolific artist in the service of the Dukes Philip the Good and Charles the Bold, and a friend of the painter Hans Memling. Under the pretext of illustrating the adventures of the Emperor Alexander, the illuminators and painters produced a detailed portrayal of everyday life at the Burgundian court in the 15th century.
C. C.-V.
See the manuscript (.pdf) digitized by the Institut de Recherche et d'Histoire des Textes
Oui
Books and manuscripts
Date: Before 1467
Materials and technics: Illuminated manuscript on vellum. Red Morocco binding adorned with blind-stamped fillets and lined with Red Morocco with petits fers gilding. Gilt edge
Dimensions: H. 40 x w. 30 x d. 11 cm
Inscriptions: Coat of arms of the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good onfolio 7r
Inventory number: LDUT456
Acquisition details: Dutuit bequest, 1902
Room: This work is not currently on display