René d'Anjou: Livre du cuer d'amours espris

Ren�, Duke of Anjou, was noted for his cultural interests. At his court in Angers a captivating style of painting flourished for a short time in mid-fifteenth century. The masterpiece of his court is a richly illustrated manuscript entitled Livre du cuer d’amours espris, or Book of the heart Seized by Love, an allegorical romance, typical of the literature of courtly love, that was written by the Duke himself. The miniatures were executed soon after the completion of the text by Ren� in 1457. The unknown illuminator, called the Master of Ren� of Anjou, was later identified as Barth�lemy d’Eyck. The details of the text demanded that the artist contend with unusual lighting effects for times of the day, night and dawn. What distinguishes these miniatures are the uncanny sensory effects of light that are achieved through the use of artificial light sources introduced in the night scenes, and the radiance of a burst of sunlight near the horizon at daybreak.

This manuscript contains an allegoric chivalric romance about the quest for requited love. The author of the text is Ren� d’Anjou (1409-1480), King of Naples, Sicily, Hungary and Jerusalem, Duke of Anjou, Bar and Lorraine, Count of Provence. After numerous political failures, he withdrew in 1442 to his castles at Angers and Tarascon, where he led an extravagant life and hosted numerous feasts and tournaments. He proved himself to be not only a great patron of the arts, but also an author.

King Ren� ordered a series of illuminated manuscripts from different artists, most of them devoted to chivalric and gallant themes and the courtly splendour of the late Middle Ages. Among these books is the greatest work written by the king himself, the allegoric tale of the adventures of Cuer the Knight, in the style of a medieval romance in prose.

The miniatures were executed by Barth�lemy d’Eyck. They do not only represent the culmination of this artist’s work but are also an outstanding achievement of the entire period. In the miniature on folio 15r, Cuer, clad in armour, stands in front of a mysterious black stone. Dawn is breaking, the sun has just risen behind a hedge on the horizon. The night before, Cuer had been unable to read the inscription on the stone. Now he reaches out with his left hand to decipher line after line the threatening message.