Master of the Mazarine Hours
Artists
The Master of the Mazarine Hours, one of the foremost illuminators working in Paris c.1400-1415, is named after one of his finest works, a Book of Hours (Paris, Bibliothèque Mazarine, MS 469). He is known for his luminous colour scheme and complex mixtures of pigments, carefully blended to create subtle effects. The Master of the Mazarine Hours was a close collaborator of another leading Parisian artist, the Boucicaut Master (c. 1390-1430). Important iconographic and stylistic parallels for the Fitzwilliam’s copy of Corbechon’s text are found in a slightly earlier copy of the same work, which was illuminated by the Boucicaut Master c. 1409-1410 (Paris, BnF, MS fr. 9141).
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Book 1: On God)
Dressed in a bright blue robe and crowned with a papal tiara, God presents Eve to Adam in the Garden of Eden, before an audience of angels and animals, including a mythical unicorn. Three six-winged seraphim, angels at the top of the heavenly hierarchy, hover in the sky above. It was thought that the term ‘seraphim’ meant burning or fiery, which explains why these angels are painted red.