Master Jean Rolin (1 results)

Condition: Fine. This Crucifixion miniature is a masterpiece of mid-fifteenth-century French illumination and one of the most important surviving works by the Master of Jean Rolin II. It once formed part of a Missal commissioned by Cardinal Jean Rolin II (1408-1483), bishop of Autun and son of Nicolas Rolin, the powerful Burgundian chancellor and renowned patron of Rogier van der Weyden. Originally, this Crucifixion was paired with a God the Father miniature?now in the Musée Rolin, Autun?forming a canon diptych that introduced the Canon of the Mass. These leaves belonged to one of four luxury Missals made for the Cardinal, three preserved in Autun and one in Lyon, all illuminated by the same master. It is extremely likely that the present leaf, with its own remarkable survival, originated in Autun MS 108A (S.131), alongside the God the Father, St. Andrew, and Adoration of the Magi leaves in the Musée Rolin. The composition unfolds across three registers: the Virgin collapses in Saint John's embrace while Mary Magdalene kneels at the foot of the Cross. On either side, the thieves writhe in agony as Longinus raises his lance. A group of mounted nobles and soldiers occupies the middle ground, beneath a sky where a golden sun and silver moon bear cosmic witness to the Passion. In the distance lies a Burgundian landscape of hills, forests, and towers?perhaps Autun itself. Despite pigment loss, especially in the faces, the confident underdrawing remains visible, revealing the artist's preparatory hand. The miniature is framed by gilded rinceaux of acanthus, fruit, and insects?hallmarks of Parisian luxury illumination. A fragment of a bishop's crozier in the lower margin, identical to that in the God the Father miniature, serves as Cardinal Rolin's personal emblem, confirming the manuscript's illustrious origin. The Master of Jean Rolin II was among the finest illuminators of his generation. His art reflects the deep Flemish influence that defined Burgundian manuscript painting, absorbing the pathos and naturalism of Rogier van der Weyden and the Flemish Primitives. The spatial structure and sculptural modeling recall the work of André d'Ypres and Guillaume Spicre, situating the artist within the cosmopolitan current of Burgundian art where Flemish panel painting, Burgundian sculpture, and Parisian illumination converged. His hand appears in all four Missals for Cardinal Rolin and in deluxe manuscripts such as the Horloge de Sapience (Brussels, KBR IV.1114) and the Hours of Simon de Varie (Getty MS 7 & KB 74 G 37 +a). The Lyon Missal (MS 517) uniquely preserves a Crucifixion and God the Father diptych still in place, confirming the liturgical logic of facing images at the Canon of the Mass and providing a key comparison for the present leaf. Reunited conceptually with its pendant in Autun, this Crucifixion reclaims its place within one of the greatest liturgical projects of fifteenth-century Burgundy. As one of the finest surviving leaves by the Master of Jean Rolin II, it embodies both the grandeur of a princely Missal and the devotional intensity that defined the artistic spirit of its age. Provenance: Commissioned by Cardinal Jean Rolin II (1408-1483); Martin Brimmer (1829-1896), Boston, president of the Museum of Fine Arts; Charles Henry Parker (1860-1948), Boston; Sotheby's, London, 22 June 1982, lot 19; Sotheby's, London, 18 June 1991, lot 21; Les Enluminures, Catalogue 1, #25 (1992); Private Collection, USA.