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Royal MS 17 E II

Record Id:

040-002107402

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

032-002105724

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000000338.0x000221

LARK:

SLARK:

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

Royal MS 17 E II

Title:

Raoul Lefèvre, Le recoeil des histoires de Troyes

Scope & Content:

This manuscript contains a copy of Le recoeil des histoires de Troyes (Collection of the stories of Troy), composed in 1464 by Raoul Lefèvre (fl. 15th century), chaplain to Philip the Good (b. 1396, d. 1467), Duke of Burgundy. At the beginning of the list of contents and in the colophon it is referred to as ‘Le livre nommé Hercules’ (f. 1r).

Contents:

ff. 1r-7v: List of contents;

ff. 8r-375r: Le recoeil des histoires de Troyes, beginning, ‘Tous les Filz de Noel [Noah]..’, ending, ‘Dyomedes occist le roy antiphus. le roy estorius. le roy prothenor et le roi obtomeus’, in 3 books:

Book 1 (ff. 8r-147v): The origin of the Trojans, the history of Perseus and the youth of Hercules.

Book 2 (ff. 148r- 249r): The deeds of Hercules.

Book 3 (ff. 250r-375r): The destruction of Troy to the death of Ulysses (based on Guido delle Colonne, Historia destructionis Troiae).

Decoration:

3 large miniatures in colours and gold at the beginning of the 3 books, with full borders including the English coat of arms, and initials in gold on blue and red grounds with penwork decoration in gold (ff. 8r, 148r, 250r). 62 one-column miniatures in colours and gold, with partial borders (ff. 19v, 32r, 41v, 53r, 59r, 65v, 74r, 79r, 83v, 87r, 96r, 107v, 114r, 123r, 136r, 142v, 151r, 153v, 157r, 159v, 163v, 167r, 169v, 171v, 173v, 175v, 178v, 180r, 181r, 183v, 187v, 190v, 195v, 202r, 205r, 212v, 219r, 225v, 229r, 233r, 236v, 240r, 245r, 260v, 266r, 273v, 278v, 285r, 299v, 306r, 315v, 326r, 332v, 339v, 347r, 349r, 352r, 361r, 364r, 367v, 369v, 372v). Initials in gold on blue and rose grounds with penwork decoration in white. Line-fillers in blue and rose with penwork decoration in white. Instructions for the artist in the lower margins (e.g., f. 175v).

The subjects of the miniatures are:

Book 1:

f. 8r: Building of the Tower of Babel, with the Ark in the background and people with ladders and a wheelbarrow, and a border with flowers and fruit;

f. 19v: King Dardanus of Corinth murders his brother Iasius (Iasion);

f. 32r: The coronation of Archas, king of Pellagia;

f. 41v: Jupiter defeats Thiphon (Typhon) in battle;

f. 53r: Jupiter and his army defeat Saturn’s army;

f. 59v: Jupiter, disguised as a messenger, gives jewels to the women guarding Danes (Danae) at the Tour d’Arain (Tower of Dardan);

f. 65v: Jupiter and Danae in bed, conceiving Perseus;

f. 74r: Saturn is defeated by Jupiter and flees in a ship;

f. 79r: Jupiter pursues the Trojans by sea to the gates of Troy;

f. 83v: King Acrisius abandons the pregnant Danae on a ship;

f. 87r: A sea battle between Jupiter and the pirate Egeon;

f. 96r: Perseus defeats Medusa’s army;

f. 107v: Perseus slays the sea monster; a bear and a dragon lie at his feet, bleeding;

f. 114r: The infant Hercules strangles two serpents in his cradle;

f. 123r: Hercules seated in his pavilion, with armour and weapons;

f. 136r: Laomedon speaks to a priest, and the walls of Troy are fortified;

f. 142v: Hercules and his army disembark from their ships to attack Troy;

Book 2:

f. 148r: Hercules, surrounded by three lions, slays the Nemean lion with a club;

f. 151r: Soldiers of King Busiris of Egypt sacrifice children, while priests consult the gods;

f. 153v: The marriage of Hercules and Megara;

f. 157r: Ypodane (Hippodamia) is carried off by centaurs (men with long hair and beards) from her wedding feast at her marriage to Pirithous;

f. 159v: Proserpina is abducted by Pluto (an inscription on the wall reads ‘Je lay’);

f. 163v: Hercules defeats Cerberus at the gates of Hell, while Pirithous lies dead;

f. 167r: Lyncus (Lycus) kills King Creon and his army conquers Thebes;

f. 169v: Hercules kills the giant Lycus and his accomplices;

f. 171v: Hercules kills King Laomedon and conquers Troy;

f. 173v: Hercules fights the giant Antheon (Antaeus);

f. 175v: Hercules captures Athlas (Atlas) and leads him away, with a donkey carrying his books;

f. 178v: Affer and Theseus defeat the Cothulye (Cotylians);

f. 180r: Hercules kills Antaeus and his army defeats the Libyans;

f. 181r: Hercules and Theseus fight against Scythian princesses (Amazons);

f. 183v: Hercules defeats Archelous in battle;

f. 187v: Hercules conquers Archelous in a night-time battle;

f. 190v: Hercules and Deianira (Deianeira) are at a river crossing and Deianeira is carried off by Nessus;

f. 195v: Hercules takes leave of Deianira and her ladies, while a ship awaits to take him to Spain;

f. 202r: Hercules and his ships dock at Courongne (Corunna) and his soldiers confront the army of the tyrant Gerion;

f. 205v: Hercules builds the city of Corunna;

f. 212v: Hercules defeats giants at Cremona;

f. 219r: Hercules retrieves his oxen from the shepherd, Cacus;

f. 225v; Hercules, standing with Leander receives a gift from a messenger; Facua, Queen of Laurence watches;

f. 229r: Hercules kills King Pricus (Picus) singlehandedly;

f. 233r: Hercules falls in love with Iole, daughter of Picus;

f. 236v: Hercules feeds Diomedes to his own flesh-eating horses;

f. 240r: Deianeira and her attendants lament that Hercules has abandoned her for Yolle;

f. 245r: Deianeira sends the poisoned shirt to Hercules;

f. 250r: The construction of the city of Troy;

f. 260v: Paris abducts Helen outside the Temple of Venus;

f. 266r: The news is brought to Menelaus;

f. 273v: The Greek fleet docks at Thenedon (Tenedos);

f. 278v: Agamemnon assembles the Greek princes;

f. 285r: The second battle between the Greeks and Trojans outside Troy;

f. 299v: The third battle of the Trojan War, in which Hector cuts Parthemor in two;

f. 306r: Diomedes kills the Sagittaire (a centaur archer);

f. 315v: Diomedes kills Troilus in the sixth battle of the Trojan War;

f. 326r: A battle in which Priam takes revenge for the death of Hector;

f. 332v: The Trojans attack the Greeks in their tents;

f. 339v: Achilles slays Troilus in battle;

f. 347r: Paris murders Achilles in the temple of Apollo;

f. 349r: Queen Penthesilea and her army of Amazons arrive at Troy on horses;

f. 352r: The death of Penthesilea; Pryant (Priam) refuses Eneas and Antenor’s plan to surrender to the Greeks;

f. 361r: Ulysses and Ajax argue over the Palladium; outside, Eneas and Anthenor board a small boat to leave Troy with their possessions;

f. 364r: Greek ships are wrecked and many of the Greeks are drowned in the sea;

f, 367v: Horestes (Orestes) besieges Michames (Mycaenae);

f. 369v: Orestes murders Pirrus (Pyrrhus) and abducts Hermione;

f. 372v: Ulixes (Ulysses) dream of his own murder by his son.

Collection Area:

Western Manuscripts

Project / Collection:

Royal Collection

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-002105724
040-002107402

Is part of:

Royal MS 1 A I-20 E X : Royal Manuscripts

Royal MS 17 E II : Raoul Lefèvre, Le recoeil des histoires de Troyes

Hierarchy:

032-002105724[1561]/040-002107402

Container:

View / search within Archive / Collection: Royal MS 1 A I-20 E X

Record Type (Level):

File

Extent:

1 volume

Digitised Content:

Languages:

French, Middle

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1470

End Date:

1488

Date Range:

c 1475-c 1483

Era:

Access:

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Physical Characteristics:

Material: Parchment.

Dimensions: 400 x 280mm (written area: 240 x 165) in two columns.

Foliation: ff. 375 (+ 1 unfoliated medieval parchment flyleaf attached to a modern paper flyleaf and 2 unfoliated medieval parchment flyleaves at the beginning and at the end; 1 blank modern paper leaf after f. 7). Foliation in roman numerals in red, beginning at i on f. 8r.

Collation: Quires of 8. Catchwords written vertically (e.g. f. 13v).

Script: Gothic cursive.

Binding: Post-1600. Royal library binding of brown leather with gilt edges.

Custodial History:

Origin: Bruges.

Provenance:

Edward IV (b. 1442, d. 1483), king of England and lord of Ireland: the royal arms of England (ff. 8r, 147r, 250r).

The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): included in the list of books at Richmond Palace of 1535, no. 46.

Presented to the British Museum by George II in 1757 as part of the Old Royal Library.

Information About Copies:

Select digital coverage available for this manuscript, see Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/welcome.htm.

Publications:

H. Omont, 'Les manuscrits français des rois d'Angleterre au château de Richmond', in Etudes romanes dédiés à Gaston Paris (Paris: É. Bouillon, 1891), pp. 1-13 (p. 7).

H. L. D. Ward and J. A. Herbert, Catalogue of Romances in the Department of Manuscripts in the British Museum, 3 vols (London: British Museum, 1883-1910), I, 64.

George F. Warner and Julius P. Gilson, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts in the Old Royal and King’s Collections, 4 vols (London: British Museum, 1921), II, p. 258.

Fritz Saxl and Hans Meier, Catalogue of Astrological and Mythological Illuminated Manuscripts of the Latin Middle Ages, 4 vols (London: The Warburg Institute, 1953), III: Manuscripts in English Libraries, p. 201.

Margaret Kekewich, 'Edward IV, William Caxton, and Literary Patronage in Yorkist England', The Modern Language Review, 66 (1971) 481-87 (p. 484).

Janet Backhouse, 'Founders of the Royal Library: Edward IV and Henry VII as Collectors of Illuminated Manuscripts', in England in the Fifteenth Century: Proceedings of the 1986 Harlaxton Symposium (Woodbridge: Boydell, 1987), pp. 23-41 (pp. 25, 27, 40, pl. 6).

Marc Aeschbach, Raoul Lefèvre. Le Recoeil des histoires de Troyes: édition critique (Bern and New York: Peter Lang, 1987), p. 37.

Bodo Brinkmann, Die flmische Buchmalerei am Ende des Burgunderreichs: der Meister des Dresdener Gebetbuchs und die Miniaturisten seiner Zeit (Turnhout: Brepols, 1997), p. 115, fig. 35.

Anne F. Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs, Richard III’s Books: Ideals and Reality in the Life and Library of a Medieval Prince (Stroud, Gloucestershire, Sutton, 1997), p. 222.

The Libraries of King Henry VIII, ed. by J. P. Carley, Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues, 7 (London: The British Library, 2000), H1.44.

Hanno Wijjsman, 'William Lord Hastings, Les Faits de Jacques De Lalaing et le Maître aux inscriptions blanches à propos du manuscrit français 16830 de la Bibliothèque nationale de France', in ’Als Ich Can’: Liber Amicorum in Memory of Professor Dr. Maurits Smeyers, ed. by Bert Cardon and others, 2 vols (Paris: Uitgeverij Peeters, 2002), pp. 1641-64 (p. 1652).

Thomas Kren and Scot McKendrick, Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe (Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2003), p. 289.

Stefania Cerrito, ‘De l'Antiquité au Moyen Âge: le Sagittaire dans les textes et les enluminures du Roman de Troie et sa mouvance’, Textes et cultures: réception, modèles, interferences, I: Réception de l'Antiquité, éd. Pierre Nobel (Besançon, Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté, 2004), pp. 239-60.

Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination (London: British Library, 2011), no. 77 [exhibition catalogue].

Céline Van Hoorebeeck, Livres et lectures des fonctionnaires des ducs de Bourgogne (ca 1420-1520), Texte, codex et contexte, 16 (Turnhout: Brepols, 2014).

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Not Public Record(s)

Names:

Edward IV, King of England and Lord of Ireland, 1442-1483
Lefèvre, Raoul, French historian and chaplain, fl 15th century,
see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000398969292,
see also http://viaf.org/viaf/203771861

Places:

Bruges, Belgium

Related Material:

'LE LIVRE NOMME HERCULES': Raoul Le Fevre's Recueil des Histoires de Troic (for full description see Ward, Cat. of Romances, I. p. 64). The prologue containing the name of the compiler, who made the book for Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1464, is absent, but otherwise the text agrees generally with the early printed editions. The English version by Caxton was the earliest book printed in English (Bruges, 1474 ?), and the French text was printed from the same type by Colard Mansion (1476?). Beg., after a table of chapters, 'Tous les filz de Noel espars par les climatz'.

Vellum; ff. 375. 16 in. x 111/4 in. Executed in Flanders, circ. 1470-1480, perhaps for Edward IV. Gatherings of 8 leaves (ii⁶, in latter part uncertain ); catchwords as far as f. 142, at right angles to text. Double columns. Sec. fol. in table 'comment Jupiter'; in text 'Par ainsi'. Illuminated initials and borders, three large and sixty-two small miniatures, with very crude figure-drawing, but occasionally interesting for costume and buildings. Directions to the rubricator in words, e.g. f. 175 b.