The Pontifical of Renaud de Bar

Office for Consecrating a Bishop

Texts and Images

Twelve unfinished miniatures, some inked or coloured by a later hand, illustrate the final part of the manuscript. The first miniature shows an archbishop receiving a newly elected bishop (fol. 103r), and the last one depicts the bishop receiving his crosier. In the last two quires (fols. 127-140), the original, elegant free-hand drawings by the Master of the Cambridge Pontifical of Renaud de Bar delineate all elements of the design, from facial features to the ornamental details of borders, initials and bas-de-page scenes.

The Master of the Cambridge Pontifical of Renaud de Bar designed this page, but it was never painted. The ornamental initial A directly beneath the large miniature is decorated with foliate motifs, and the ornamental initial A at the bottom of the page was designed to contain a coat of arms. A rabbit and a dog, both wearing clothing, are depicted in the bas-de-page.

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