Faits des Romains (BNF Fr. 295)

Armoured knights, p. 50.

Colloquial name(s): Faits des Romaines (Fates of the Romans)

Official name(s): Bibliothèque nationale de France, Français 295

Date: 1324-28 (source)

Origin: Naples, Italy (source)

Online facsimile available via: Bibliothèque nationale de France Gallica digital library

This manuscript was made in Naples between 1324 and 1328 for the second son of Robert of Anjou, Charles the Illustrious, Duke of Calabria (source). It cannot have been made prior to 1324 as this is the wedding date of Charles and Mary of Valois and the arms of the couple appear on f. 1 (source). It cannot have been made after 1328 as this is when Charles died (source). The manuscript was copied by two scribes - the first, likely Neapolitan, copied the text of pp. 1-118, colophon b line 21 and the table on pp. 667-890; the second, French, copied the text on p. 118 and colophon b line 22 (source).

The illustrations are the work of a Picardo-Neapolitan artist who is thought by some to also have illuminated Grenoble BM, ms 53; BL Royal 20 D I; a Franciscan antiphon in Stockholm National Museum; Venice Biblioteca Marciana ms. Late X 10 (1745), 2 and 6; a Franciscan breviary in the Biblioteca Comunale in Naro; and fragment no.s 103-105 and 193 within the Wildenstein Collection at the Marmottan Museum (source). The style of the marginal grotesques (pursuit of hunting dogs) indicates that the artist is from northern France (source). However, the colour palette (dominated by bright yellow and acid green), along with the filigree initials and the depiction of the costume, demonstrate that the artist worked in Naples, Italy and was integrated into the Neapolitan court (source).