The Hours of Etienne Chevalier Musee Conde, Chantilly

New York: George Braziller, 1971. Hardcover in an Illustrated Slipcover. Fine/A Near Fine Slip Case; No Dust Jacket As Issued.

Wine red cloth with gilt titles and front Initials; Slipcase in black with color paste-on and spine titles; 11 inches tall, 128 pages with Notes, Bibliography and Index of the Plates. The 47 reproductions on quality photographic plates are tipped-in.

No Flaws or Blemishes but moderate shelf handling of the slipcase; and an attractive previous owner's bookplate.. The Hours of Étienne Chevalier, an illuminated book of hours, was commissioned by Étienne Chevalier, treasurer to King Charles VII of France, and crafted by the talented miniature painter and illuminator, Jean Fouquet.

Today, only 48 leaves of this remarkable manuscript remain, housing 47 exquisite miniatures. These precious pages are now scattered across seven different collections in Europe and the United States of America. Remarkably, the Musée Condé in Château de Chantilly, France, proudly holds 40 of these splendid illuminations.
Throughout its history, the manuscript remained within the Chevalier family's possession until the 17th century. The last direct descendant, Nicolas Chevalier (1562-1630), held the manuscript.

However, by the late 17th century, according to the scholar François Roger de Gaignières, it still existed in its complete form. It seems that over the course of the 18th century, the manuscript was gradually divided, with each miniature separated to become distinct artworks, and their textual components concealed.

Of the most well-preserved miniatures, 40 were affixed to wooden panels by a Parisian frame-maker towards the end of the 18th century. During the tumultuous times of the French Revolution, these 40 miniatures were acquired by an art dealer from Basel, who subsequently sold them in 1809 to the German banker Georges Brentano.

In 1891, Georges Brentano's son, Louis, transferred ownership to Prince Henri, Duke of Aumale, for the sum of 250,000 francs. These exquisite miniatures found a new home at Prince Henri's Château de Chantilly, where they remain on display in the Santuario, inviting admiration to this day.

Background Information:
The Chateau de Chantilly is one of the finest jewels in the crown of France's cultural heritage. It is the work of a man with an extraordinary destiny: Henri d'Orleans, Duke of Aumale, son of the last King of France, Louis-Philippe. This prince, who is considered to be the greatest collector of his time, made Chantilly the showcase for his countless masterpieces and precious manuscripts.