The Golden Age : Manuscript Painting at the Time of Jean, Duc de Berry

Chatto & Windus, London, first paperback edition, 1979. Laminated pictorial wrappers, 4to, 29 cm,. 119 pp, 40 colour plates, 19 black-and-white ills. From the blurb: "Magnificent manuscripts emerged all over Europe during the late fourteenth and throughout the fifteenth century. In France, the victory of Charles V (1364-80) over the English, and over his own feudal nobility, marked the beginning of a splendid period in the history of book illumination - an era often referred to as the 'Golden Age of Illumination'. Among the volumes that were to set a standard for illumination were those that emerged through the patronage of Charles's brother, Jean, Duc de Berry, whose interest in fine books earned him the title of 'prince of medieval bibliophiles'. The ornate masterpieces of manuscript illumination produced by his artists include the Belles Heures, the Grandes Heures and the celebrated Très Riches Heures. In addition to devotional Books of Hours, his personal library embraced beautifully illuminated secular books. This volume presents 40 colour plates, as well as additional black-and-white illustrations, all drawn from the most important manuscripts produced in Europe during this 'Golden Age'. The selection has been made by Marcel Thomas, Inspector General of Libraries in France, and includes folios from the 'Tacuinum Sanitatis (or Medieval Health Handbook), the Terence Des Ducs, splendid Bibles and the glorious books of Hours. Near Very Good.