Histoire Ancienne - Les Faits des Romains (BNF Fr. 246)

Discovery of the hanged Oedipus, f. 36r.

Colloquial name(s): Histoire Ancienne - Les Faits des Romains

Official name(s): Bibliothèque nationale de France, Français 246 

Date: 1360-1400 (source)

Origin: Paris, France (source)

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

This manuscript consists of a copy of Wauchier de Denain's Histoire Ancienne - Les Faits des Romains (aka, Ancient History - The Facts of the Romans) (source). It was copied by Mathias du Rivau, a clerk of the diocese of Poitiers, between 1st October 1364 and 24th March 1365 (as indicated by its colophon) (source).

The decoration of the manuscript is very similar to that of BL Royal 16 G VII, BNF NAF 3576 and Dublin, Chester Beatty Library, ms. 74 (source). All of these contain an iconographic cycle and similar decoration, colour choices, borders, program of illustrations and frontispieces (source). It is thought that they are the work of the Parisian workshops of the third quarter of the 14th Century (source).

This manuscript belonged to the Duke of Berry, as per a dedication within in (source). It occurs in the 1401-03 inventory of the Duke of Berry, described as being covered with engraved red leather and with two silver clasps, and again in the inventory drawn up by Robinet d'Étampes, Garde of the Jewels between 1413 and 1416 where it is described the same (source). In the account written by Jean Lebourne at the death of the duke in 1416, this manuscript is valued at 24 livres parisis or 30 livres tournois (source). It passed to Count Bernard VII d'Armagnac, husband of Bonne de Berry (the duke's daughter) and remained in Armagnac hands until at least the second half of the 15th Century when Jacques d'Armagnac had two inscriptions written into the book (source). Following this, it became the property of Pierre II of Bourbon, resulting in the emblem and motto of the Bourbons being written into the book (source).

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