Exhibitions
Themes from the Palaeography Collection
Jacobus Mathey (Jaquet Maci, fl. c.1320-1350),
a French Illuminator of the Fourteenth Century
July - December 2005
Jaquet Maci was initiated in the decorative arts of the book during the second decade of the fourteenth century at Avignon . His influential presence there at the beginning of his career has been linked to the beautiful ornamentation found in the Collection of Jean XXII', an ensemble of fourteen manuscripts of works by Saint Thomas, now held at the Vatican Library. At Avignon he developed a unique style of very high quality, a true style d'atelier', sober and classical, and seems to have produced a large volume of work.
Moving to Paris in the latter part of the second decade of the century Maci quickly fell under the artistic influence of this new milieu, adopting its techniques whilst also retaining some of the earlier characteristics of his decorative style. In Paris he often worked in the circle of the great master illuminator Jean Pucelle (fl. 1320-1334). Maci's name is found in the famous Robert de Billying Bible' (shown here), written in Paris in 1327, inscribed next to two other signatures, those of Jean Pucelle and a third master illuminator, Anciau de Cens.
Between 1327 and 1345 Maci's art evolved considerably, from that of his earlier classical style to the more abundant style seen in the Letters of Saint Augustin' (Vatican Library, MS Rossi 259), manuscript commissioned in 1345 by Grégoire de Rimini, theologian at the University of Paris. It is in this manuscript that we find Maci's name for the first time inscribed in its more latinised form of Jacobus Mathey, indicating his status as an established master. His artistic success, particularly his mastery of the filigree ornamentation of historiated initials, helped him to impose his own decorative solutions on the Parisian artistic milieu of the time. Motifs he had developed in his first known works survived in his later manuscripts, albeit in more evolved forms. Much of his later work was produced for an ecclesiastical clientele, particularly from the pontifical entourage.
It is in three manuscripts, all executed around 1345-1350 for the Saint-Chapelle de Bourges, that Maci's calligraphic decoration', as it has been described by scholars, truly reveals its outstanding beauty: the Saint-Chapelle Missal', the Saint-Chapelle Evangeliary', and the Saint-Chapelle Epistle Lectionary' (all shown here). His originality does not rest only on the decoration of the initials themselves but rather in the pen flourishings and the striking motifs elongating these initials in the margins. Some of Maci's favourite motifs in these manuscripts include the heraldic eagle and the gold and blue half fleurs-de-lis border.
Maci was an exceptional artist and is considered to have been a leader in filigree ornamentation reaching a status similar to that of Jean Pucelle in miniature painting. Maci made an essential contribution to what has been described as the revival of manuscript ornamentation in Paris starting from the middle of the fourteenth century. His influence in this field persisted well into the next century.
Other manuscripts attributed to Jaquet Maci include: Saint Ambrosie, Hexaemeron and other works (Paris, Bibl. Nat., MS Lat. 1723); Speculum vel Ymago mundi editus a fratre Vincentio ordinis fratrum predicatorum (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, MS Lat. 4907 A); Bernard Gui, Flores Chronicorum (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale MS Lat. 4975); Epistolier a l'usage de Saint-Germain-des-Pres (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, MS Lat. 12069).
Apocalypse Manuscript Facsimiles
1st April 2007 -
Apocalypses along with Books of Hours, Psalters and Bestiaries were amongst the most popular manuscripts used both by the clergy and the laity throughout the Middle Ages. The Apocalypse, or the Book of Revelation, was a pervasive presence in tenth and eleventh-century Spain, and gained an especially strong influence all over Europe from the mid thirteenth century onwards, helped by the impetus of the distinctive Gothic tradition of illumination that began in England around that time. More than half (around fifty) of the beautifully illustrated apocalypse manuscripts surviving from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries were produced in England. The text of the Apocalypse remained for centuries a frequent source of inspiration for illustration not only in manuscript books but also in books printed until the sixteenth century.
The Apocalypse of John is the only prophetic book in the New Testament and arguably the most controversial book of the Bible. It is commonly believed to have been written around 95 AD, when apocalyptic prophecies about the end of time and the Last Judgement inspired many writers.
The elegant and elaborate manuscripts produced in England are indicative of a certain division of labour in book production that was likely to have been employed in English and European scriptoria during the Gothic period. A highly educated cleric would have assumed the role of the book designer and the compiler of the gloss dictating the layout of the page and the text to a scribe or an artist. As for reading, this was an increasingly solitary activity in the later Middle Ages. The rich picture cycles found in these manuscripts provided a powerful visual aid and completed, and indeed often replaced, the narrative function of the text for the reader engaged in private prayer and contemplation.
It was common for the Book of Revelation to be reproduced with commentaries, and often the illuminations expanded upon these accompanying glosses. Most manuscripts contain glosses in the form of compiled excerpts from a twelfth century commentary of Berengaudus, who interpreted the apocalyptic text as the Church’s constant battle against enemies until their final conversion or destruction at the ‘unveiling’ of time and the ‘end of the world’.
Apocalypse illustrations often served as forceful ideological statements, such as the radical anti-Jewish iconography invented in Paris in the earlier thirteenth century for the illustrations of the Bible moraliseé, which can also be seen in the accompanying commentaries of the English apocalypse manuscripts.
As a distinctive ‘genre of medieval art production and consumption’, the Apocalypse manuscripts were a strong political and social investment by the elite that also ‘functioned as powerfully active voices in shaping culture and participating in the formation of thirteenth century ideology.’ (Lewis, Suzanne. Reading images: narrative discourse and reception in the thirteenth century illuminated Apocalypse. Cambridge, 1995).
Items on display
Apocalipsis Gulbenkian
Barcelona: Moleiro, c2002
Apocalypse. Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum MS L.A. 139, fol. 12v. The Sixth Seal:
the Earthquake; fol. 13. The Destruction of the Jews and the Calling of the Gentiles.
London?, ca. 1265-70
Apocalypse: MS Douce 180: vollständige Faksimile-Ausgabe im Originalformat der Handschrift MS Douce 180 aus dem Besitz der Bodleian Library, Oxford
Graz: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt, 1983
Apocalypse. Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Douce 180, p. 16. The Third Seal; p.17. The Fifth Seal.
London, ca.1270.
The Lambeth Apocalypse
London: H. Miller, 1990
Apocalypse. London, Lambeth Palace Library MS 209, fol. ii v. Benedictine Monk Painting a Statue of the Virgin and Child; fol. 1. John on Patmos.
London?, ca. 1260-70
The Trinity College Apocalypse: a reproduction in facsimile of the manuscript R.16.2 in the library of Trinity College Cambridge
London: Printed for the Roxburghe Club, 1909
Apocalypse. Cambridge, Trinity College MS R.16.2, fol. 10v. John Forbidden to Write; John Eats the Book; fol. 11r. Measuring the Temple.
England, ca. 1255-1260.
Reduced size for display.
Die Bibel Ludwigs des Heiligen: volständige Faksimile-Ausgabe im Original format von MS M.240 der Pierpont Morgan Library, New York
Graz: Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, 1995
Bible moraliseé. New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M.240, fol. 7. The Coming of Jesus;
fol. 8. Dedication page.
Paris, early 13th century.
Biblia pauperum; Apocalypsis
Frankfurt am Main: Insel-Verlag, 1977
Biblia pauperum. Weimer, Zentralbibliothek der Deutschen Klassik Fol.max.4, fol. 16v, fol. 17. The Woman and the Dragon.
Germany, ca.1350.
Die Bamberger Apokalypse
Stuttgart: Urachhaus, 1981
Apocalypse. Baamberg, Staatsbibliothek MS Bibl. 140, fol. 27v. The Two Witnesses;
fol. 28v. The Seventh Trumpet.
Reichenau, early 11th century.
A Spanish Apocalypse: the Morgan Beatus manuscript
New York: G. Braziller in association with the Pierpont Morgan Library, 1991
Apocalypse. New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M.644, fol. 194v. The Great Whore and the Kings; fol. 200. The Victory of the Lamb over the Kings.
Tábara?, Spain, ca. 940-945.
Sancti Beati a Liebana in Apocalypsin Codex Gerundensis:
El Apocalipsis de Gerona
Olten; Lausanne: Urs Graf, 1962
Apocalypse. Gerona, Museu de la Catedral Núm. Inv. 7 (11), fol. 147v. The Metaphor of the Palm Tree; fol. 148. The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer.
Tábara?, Spain, 975.
Reduced size for display.
