Object Image

Hours of Charles the Noble, King of Navarre (1361-1425): fol. 185r, Crucifixion

This precious volume was obviously highly prized by its owner, the French-born King of Navarre, who had his coat of arms painted on no less than twenty folios. Rather than directly commissioning this manuscript from a specific workshop, it seems that Charles the Noble acquired his book of hours -- perhaps ready-made for the luxury market -- while on a trip to Paris in 1404-05. A collaborative effort, six painting styles are evidenced within the pages of this codex, those of two Italians, two Frenchmen, and two Netherlanders. The painter who was responsible for the planning and decoration of the book, and who produced seventeen of the large miniatures, was a Bolognese artist known as the Master ...
c. 1405
Ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
20.3 x 15.7 x 7.0 cm
1964.40.185.a
Image and text: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023

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The Cleveland Museum of Art
Permanent collection