DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14714#0070
DESCRIPTION OF MS.
RECOLLATION OF THE CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND.
WRITTEN FOR EDWA.RD IV.
in
OSS or other causes have reduced die original series of seven noble
volumes, mentioned by the author, to three or four, now carefully preserved
in the British Museum. The work was probably written in the early part
of the reign of King Edward IV.. and with the especial view of defending
and flattering the King and the House of York, as will be seen in a portion
of the author's prologue on our illustrative page where he naively states that
he has undertaken this recollation of the Chronicles of England, " a la totale
loenge du noble roy Edouard," &c. Each of the remaining volumes contains
several magnificently illuminated pages, the commencement of almost every
chapter being ornamented with borderings, and a picture equally elaborate
with our specimen ; many of the borders are even richer, but the pictures
are in a different and somewhat inferior style of art. The page we have
selected to illustrate the style and character of this work forms the frontispiece
to the first volume, fortunately one of the few preserved, as it is, on several accounts, more interesting than any
of the others, as the frontispiece contains portraits of the author, and the person for whom the book was executed,
and is of a much higher class of art, possibly, as Dr. Waagen has suggested, of the school of Jean van Eyck.
It is, however, less carefully finished than many of the best illuminations of the period, though somewhat more
free in style, circumstances unfavourable to Dr. Waagen's theory; nevertheless, the whole of the illuminations are
evidently works of Flemish art, all of them, with the exception of the frontispiece, executed most probably, in
one of those establishments at Bruges, which the great demand for illuminated books at this period, called into
existence, and which might also be termed illumination manufactories. This page, however, does not exhibit the
same mechanical style of execution as the rest ; but, on the contrary, appears to be the work of a different and
superior artist, engaged, most probably, for the express purpose of painting the portraits from the life; the fact
which confers the greatest degree of interest on the work. From the individuality of character given to each
figure, there is, indeed, every reason to believe that the portraits are authentic delineations ; a supposition placed
almost beyond doubt, when we recollect that it was the almost universal custom of the period, when splendid
books were commanded by persons of rank, to paint a sort of presentation page at the commencement of the
work, exhibiting the portrait of the patron, with the author in a kneeling posture, offering his book ; the armorial
bearings of the family being ingeniously wrought into the design of the ornamental bordering; so that to doubt
the authenticity of the portraits in this frontispiece would be to suppose the work an extraordinary exception to
the prevailing custom, an exceedingly unlikely circumstance in the present instance. The figure on the throne is,
of course, the king, whose commanding mien and dark flowing hair well accord with the received accounts of his
person; the face appears older and more lined than is consistent with his age, but when we consider his youth of
great exertion and excitement, and the excessive dissipations of his early manhood, in conjunction with the truth -
telling and somewhat harsh pencil of cotemporary art, we may imagine that we see a faithful, though hard and
unflattering, likeness of the reputed handsome Edward.
FIGURE on his left, wearing the garter, is undoubtedly the unfortunate Clarence, whose
vague expression appears curiously in accordance with his vacillating character. Gloucester
stands boldly forward on his right near the front of the picture, also wearing the garter, but
in no other respect resembling the figure of Clarence. He does not wear the long flowing
gown or cloak of his effeminate brother, but is compactly dressed in a short close vest, and
stands in the act of speaking to an attendant, with a determined expression of deep and
concentrated purpose,—his right hand playing, as was his well known habit, with the hilt of
his sword. The face, like that of his elder brother, appears too old, when it occurs to us that, on the day of
Bosworth field, he had scarcely completed his thirty-third year; but the number of events crowded into a short
life in those stirring times, commenced on battle fields ere we consider childhood passed, the early development of
violent passions, in conjunction with the strong linear manner of painting, are, perhaps, more than sufficient to
account for this apparent discrepancy : the portrait, moreover, is younger in appearance than the one in the
collection of Lord Exeter, and, as well as that of Edward, is in a much better style of art than the more
celebrated ones of the Rous Roll; in which they are introduced to illustrate the history of the great House
of Neville, Earls of Warwick.
RESENTING his book to the king, the author occupies the centre of the picture, but
his name is unknown ; the commencement of his prologue, which appears on our illuminated
page, we give as follows, for the benefit of those who may find the old character difficult to
read:—" Prologue de l'acteur sur la totalle recollation des sept volumes des anchienncs et
i nouvelles croniques d'Angleterre a la totale loenge du noble roy Edouard de......IV"
de ce nom.
" Edouard par la grace de Dieu roi et de France d'Angleterre seigneur d'Irland pour ce que au commence-
ment de toutes chose contendant a bonne fin. Selong la scentence des philosophies anchiens doit etre grace
requise a cellui dont: "—which is sufficiently near to modern French not to require translation.
These volumes have continued to form a portion of the library of our successive sovereigns, since the time
of their presentation to King Edward, to the time of their deposit with the royal books in the British Museum,
of the now noble and still increasing library of which they formed the nucleus. The curious will not fail to
observe an erasure in the commencement of the prologue on our specimen page, leaving a space after " Edouard
de . . . . ," no doubt, originally filled by the word York, erased, we may conjecture, during the short return of
the Lancastrian party, consequent upon the revolt of the Earl of Warwick.
The first part of these Chronicles contains a strange compound of traditional history mingled with the fable
and romance of the early portion of the middle ages, not omitting the slaying of giants and marine monsters,
with singular copiousness of detail. The portion from the accession of Edward III. to the death of Richard II.,
would appear to have been principally taken from the Chronicles of Froissart. We have not discovered any
volumes relating to events nearer the time of Edward IV.; they doubtless contain, if still in existence, a strong
Yorkist version of the war of the Roses. The border with which this description is ornamented, is from a richly
illuminated page in the same volume as the frontispiece; the L is one of the illuminated capitals with which
every chapter is commenced; and the two smaller capitals, A and P, are from the same volume, being such as
commence every important sentence throughout the work. These specimens, with our large plate of the entire
frontispiece page, will serve to convey a very complete idea of the style of these highly enriched volumes, a fine
specimen of such illuminated books of the period, as were executed in the Northern portion of Europe, more
especially Flanders, a style very different from Southern art of the same date.
RECOLLATION OF THE CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND.
WRITTEN FOR EDWA.RD IV.
in
OSS or other causes have reduced die original series of seven noble
volumes, mentioned by the author, to three or four, now carefully preserved
in the British Museum. The work was probably written in the early part
of the reign of King Edward IV.. and with the especial view of defending
and flattering the King and the House of York, as will be seen in a portion
of the author's prologue on our illustrative page where he naively states that
he has undertaken this recollation of the Chronicles of England, " a la totale
loenge du noble roy Edouard," &c. Each of the remaining volumes contains
several magnificently illuminated pages, the commencement of almost every
chapter being ornamented with borderings, and a picture equally elaborate
with our specimen ; many of the borders are even richer, but the pictures
are in a different and somewhat inferior style of art. The page we have
selected to illustrate the style and character of this work forms the frontispiece
to the first volume, fortunately one of the few preserved, as it is, on several accounts, more interesting than any
of the others, as the frontispiece contains portraits of the author, and the person for whom the book was executed,
and is of a much higher class of art, possibly, as Dr. Waagen has suggested, of the school of Jean van Eyck.
It is, however, less carefully finished than many of the best illuminations of the period, though somewhat more
free in style, circumstances unfavourable to Dr. Waagen's theory; nevertheless, the whole of the illuminations are
evidently works of Flemish art, all of them, with the exception of the frontispiece, executed most probably, in
one of those establishments at Bruges, which the great demand for illuminated books at this period, called into
existence, and which might also be termed illumination manufactories. This page, however, does not exhibit the
same mechanical style of execution as the rest ; but, on the contrary, appears to be the work of a different and
superior artist, engaged, most probably, for the express purpose of painting the portraits from the life; the fact
which confers the greatest degree of interest on the work. From the individuality of character given to each
figure, there is, indeed, every reason to believe that the portraits are authentic delineations ; a supposition placed
almost beyond doubt, when we recollect that it was the almost universal custom of the period, when splendid
books were commanded by persons of rank, to paint a sort of presentation page at the commencement of the
work, exhibiting the portrait of the patron, with the author in a kneeling posture, offering his book ; the armorial
bearings of the family being ingeniously wrought into the design of the ornamental bordering; so that to doubt
the authenticity of the portraits in this frontispiece would be to suppose the work an extraordinary exception to
the prevailing custom, an exceedingly unlikely circumstance in the present instance. The figure on the throne is,
of course, the king, whose commanding mien and dark flowing hair well accord with the received accounts of his
person; the face appears older and more lined than is consistent with his age, but when we consider his youth of
great exertion and excitement, and the excessive dissipations of his early manhood, in conjunction with the truth -
telling and somewhat harsh pencil of cotemporary art, we may imagine that we see a faithful, though hard and
unflattering, likeness of the reputed handsome Edward.
FIGURE on his left, wearing the garter, is undoubtedly the unfortunate Clarence, whose
vague expression appears curiously in accordance with his vacillating character. Gloucester
stands boldly forward on his right near the front of the picture, also wearing the garter, but
in no other respect resembling the figure of Clarence. He does not wear the long flowing
gown or cloak of his effeminate brother, but is compactly dressed in a short close vest, and
stands in the act of speaking to an attendant, with a determined expression of deep and
concentrated purpose,—his right hand playing, as was his well known habit, with the hilt of
his sword. The face, like that of his elder brother, appears too old, when it occurs to us that, on the day of
Bosworth field, he had scarcely completed his thirty-third year; but the number of events crowded into a short
life in those stirring times, commenced on battle fields ere we consider childhood passed, the early development of
violent passions, in conjunction with the strong linear manner of painting, are, perhaps, more than sufficient to
account for this apparent discrepancy : the portrait, moreover, is younger in appearance than the one in the
collection of Lord Exeter, and, as well as that of Edward, is in a much better style of art than the more
celebrated ones of the Rous Roll; in which they are introduced to illustrate the history of the great House
of Neville, Earls of Warwick.
RESENTING his book to the king, the author occupies the centre of the picture, but
his name is unknown ; the commencement of his prologue, which appears on our illuminated
page, we give as follows, for the benefit of those who may find the old character difficult to
read:—" Prologue de l'acteur sur la totalle recollation des sept volumes des anchienncs et
i nouvelles croniques d'Angleterre a la totale loenge du noble roy Edouard de......IV"
de ce nom.
" Edouard par la grace de Dieu roi et de France d'Angleterre seigneur d'Irland pour ce que au commence-
ment de toutes chose contendant a bonne fin. Selong la scentence des philosophies anchiens doit etre grace
requise a cellui dont: "—which is sufficiently near to modern French not to require translation.
These volumes have continued to form a portion of the library of our successive sovereigns, since the time
of their presentation to King Edward, to the time of their deposit with the royal books in the British Museum,
of the now noble and still increasing library of which they formed the nucleus. The curious will not fail to
observe an erasure in the commencement of the prologue on our specimen page, leaving a space after " Edouard
de . . . . ," no doubt, originally filled by the word York, erased, we may conjecture, during the short return of
the Lancastrian party, consequent upon the revolt of the Earl of Warwick.
The first part of these Chronicles contains a strange compound of traditional history mingled with the fable
and romance of the early portion of the middle ages, not omitting the slaying of giants and marine monsters,
with singular copiousness of detail. The portion from the accession of Edward III. to the death of Richard II.,
would appear to have been principally taken from the Chronicles of Froissart. We have not discovered any
volumes relating to events nearer the time of Edward IV.; they doubtless contain, if still in existence, a strong
Yorkist version of the war of the Roses. The border with which this description is ornamented, is from a richly
illuminated page in the same volume as the frontispiece; the L is one of the illuminated capitals with which
every chapter is commenced; and the two smaller capitals, A and P, are from the same volume, being such as
commence every important sentence throughout the work. These specimens, with our large plate of the entire
frontispiece page, will serve to convey a very complete idea of the style of these highly enriched volumes, a fine
specimen of such illuminated books of the period, as were executed in the Northern portion of Europe, more
especially Flanders, a style very different from Southern art of the same date.