Chaldean History, Chronicle of the Kings of Babylon
ca. 1505
This chronicle of the Babylonian kings written in the 4th century, translated into French and richly illuminated, was given as “a book of love”, in the tradition of medieval betrothal gifts, to Anne de Graville, lady-in-waiting to the wife of Francis I of France and the daughter of Louis Malet de Graville, Admiral of France and one of the greatest French bibliophiles of the Renaissance. The work is evidence not only of the intellectual rivalry that spread from Italy through the European courts at the end of the 15th century, but also of the desire of the ruling class, and especially ladies, to make the literature of Antiquity their own through the rediscovery of humanitas.
Artist: Bérosus (ca. 209) |
Title: Anonymous translation in French and Latin Illuminated by Jean Pichore (active between 1501 and 1520) |
Geography: Paris, France |
Date: ca. 1505 |
Medium: ink and colours on parchment, gold highlights |
Classification: manuscript |
Dimensions: 25.4 x 18.7 cm |
Inventory number: LAD 2014.029 |
Contact for images: [email protected] |
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