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| St. Peter invokes the Christians whilst pagans are slain at the foot of their altar, f. 8r. |
Colloquial name(s): De Civitate Dei
Official name(s): Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Français 22912 & 22913
De Civitate Dei, which translates as The City of God, is a book of Christian philosophy written in Latin by Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th C (source). This copy of De Civitate Dei was made shortly after the book was translated into French by Raoul de Presles (said to have been completed on 1st September 1375 (source)). This copy has one identifiable copyist, Raoulet Orleans, a favourite copyist of Charles V of France (source). It exists in two volumes: Fr. 22912 contains Livres 1-X (source) and Fr. 22913 contains Livres XI-XXII (source).
The majority of the miniatures, including ff. 2v, 225r, 239v and 370r of Fr. 22913, are thought to be the work of the Master of the Coronation of Book (source, source and source). However, the illustrations on 227v and 278v of Fr. 22912 and ff. 26r, 45v, 62v, 91v, 138v, 186v, 291r and 408v of Fr. 22913 are thought to be the work of the Master of Charles V of Sacra (source and source). The illuminations on 384 and 407v of Fr. 22912 are thought to be the work of the first Master of the Bible of Jean de Sy (source).
The illustrations in this work are in grisaille, a technique used in French manuscripts from the first half of the 14th C whereby the artwork is purposely rendered in shades of grey. In this case, unlike some other examples of grisaille, the figures are in shades of grey but the backgrounds and occasional details are in colour. Like many other 14th C manuscripts, this manuscript features foliate borders containing exceedingly naturalistic native songbirds.
Basic descriptions of the illustrations in both volumes are provided by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France - just click on the 'i' icon on the left-hand side.
Date: c. 1375-1377 for Fr. 22912 (source) and c. 1370-80 for Fr. 22913 (source), alternatively 1376 (source)
Online facsimile available via: Bibliothèque Nationale de France Gallica digital library - Fr. 22912 and Fr. 22913
The majority of the miniatures, including ff. 2v, 225r, 239v and 370r of Fr. 22913, are thought to be the work of the Master of the Coronation of Book (source, source and source). However, the illustrations on 227v and 278v of Fr. 22912 and ff. 26r, 45v, 62v, 91v, 138v, 186v, 291r and 408v of Fr. 22913 are thought to be the work of the Master of Charles V of Sacra (source and source). The illuminations on 384 and 407v of Fr. 22912 are thought to be the work of the first Master of the Bible of Jean de Sy (source).
The illustrations in this work are in grisaille, a technique used in French manuscripts from the first half of the 14th C whereby the artwork is purposely rendered in shades of grey. In this case, unlike some other examples of grisaille, the figures are in shades of grey but the backgrounds and occasional details are in colour. Like many other 14th C manuscripts, this manuscript features foliate borders containing exceedingly naturalistic native songbirds.
Basic descriptions of the illustrations in both volumes are provided by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France - just click on the 'i' icon on the left-hand side.
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