"A l’Escu de France"
Guillebert de Mets et la peinture de livres à Gand à l’époque de Jan van Eyck (1410-1450)
A true investigation of Guillebert de Mets
In the early years of the 15th century, Guillebert de Mets, a young and gifted scribe from Grammont (Geraardsbergen) moved to Paris. Here he came in contact with the vibrant and creative circles of the French scholars, writers, and book makers, such as the famous Christine de Pizan. He was connected to the court of John the Fearless and after the duke was murdered in 1419, he was forced to return to Grammont where he became a prominent citizen. He also kept a large inn with the suggestive name Escu de France (The Arms of France) where he started his own book business.
An outstanding calligrapher, Guillebert de Mets subcontracted the decoration and illustration of his manuscripts to a group of elusive illuminators whom, in spite of the quality and the originality of their work, had not been identified yet. They were nonetheless very much in demand at the court of Burgundy and were hired to work on seminal works of the ducal library, one of the most prestigious book collections of its time.
and the illuminators through 64 books and fragments
Who were these “Masters of Guillebert de Mets”? Where did they work and for whom? Based on an extensive body of archival documents, many of them unpublished, this book addresses these fundamental issues. It also draws on an in-depth study of the oeuvre of these illuminators – sixty-four manuscripts and fragments gathered here for the first time. This raises the fascinating question of possible interactions between Paris, the major artistic centre of Western Europe around 1400, and illuminators active in the Southern Low Countries at the time of the first generation of Flemish Primitives.
Both Guillebert de Mets and his illuminators were important points of contact between these two centres of excellence. They illustrate the key role played by Paris in the shaping of the Flemish ars nova, during the glorious heyday of the Burgundian court.
Thanks to its wealth of documentation and the depth of its analysis, this book provides a renewed vision of the art of our regions in the 15th century, particularly in Ghent.
Tant par l'exigence critique de son contenu, par l'ampleur du travail documentaire et, ce faisant, une contextualisation qui fait sens tout au long des commentaires consacrés aux manuscrits, que par la qualité incontestable de sa typographie et de sa couverture photographique, cet ouvrage constitue assurément un modèle et une référence incontournable pour tous ceux qui s'intéressent à la miniature des anciens Pays-Bas.
A monument of medievalist scholarship that combines history, art history and codicology to throw light on the Flemish 15th-c. entrepreneur Guillebert de Mets.
More publications of KIK-IRPA
