Histoire ancienne jusqu'à César (BL Royal MS 20 D I)

Tydeus and Lycurgus' daughter, f. 11r.

Colloquial name(s): Histoire ancienne jusqu'à César, part 3 of second redaction

Official name(s): British Library, Royal MS 20 D I

Date: c. 1330-40 (source)

Origin: Naples, Italy (source)

Online facimile available via: British Library Digitised Manuscripts

This manuscript contains the earliest surviving copy of the second redaction of the Histoire ancienne jusqu'à César (source). This version forcuses on Troy, eliminating the biblical histories and the history of Alexander and integrating portions of the prose translation of the Roman de Troie (5th version) by Benoit de Sainte-Maure and passages from French translations of Ovid's Heroides (source).

This manuscript is thought to have been made for a member of the Anjou family of Naples, perhaps Robert of Anjou (b. 1277, d. 1343), king of Naples and titular king of Jerusalem (source). This provenance is based on the presence of the arms of Anjou, Anjou-Naples, Anjou-Hungary and Anjou quartered with Provence which are assigned to Greek heroes in the miniatures along with the modified arms of Jerusalem (source). Two direct copies of this manuscript were produced in France: BNF Fr. 301 and BL Stowe MS 54 (source).

The manuscript contains 4 full-page miniatures in colours, silver and gold; 297 miniatures in colours, some of which are in colours and gold; 2 small miniatures in colours; numerous instructions to illuminators in French, some with space left for miniatures; numerous historiated initials; and numerous ornamental initials in colours and gold (source). The illuminations are thought to be the work of Neapolitan artists collaborating with a Picard illuminator who was active in Naples (source). This Picard illuminator also illuminated BNF Fr. 295 and collaborated with three Italian artists on Biblioteca nazionale Ms. I. B. 24 (source).

Basic descriptions of the illustrations are provided by the British Library with the facsimile.