Jean Pucelle (c. 1300 – 1355; active c. 1320–1350) was a Parisian Gothic-era manuscript illuminator who excelled in the invention of

drolleries A drollery, often also called a grotesque, is a small decorative image in the margin of an illuminated manuscript, most popular from about 1250 through the 15th century, though found earlier and later. The most common types of drollery images a ...

as well as traditional iconography. He is considered one of the best miniaturists of the early 14th century. He worked primarily under the

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

of the royal court and is believed to have been responsible for the introduction of the ''arte nuovo'' of

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto, was an List of Italian painters, Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the International Gothic, Gothic and Italian Ren ...

and

Duccio Duccio di Buoninsegna ( , ; – ), commonly known as just Duccio, was an Italian painter active in Siena, Tuscany, in the late 13th and early 14th century. He was hired throughout his life to complete many important works in government and religi ...

to Northern Gothic art. His work shows a distinct influence of the Italian

trecento The Trecento (, also , ; short for , "1300") refers to the 14th century in Italian cultural history. The Trecento is considered to be the beginning of the Italian Renaissance or at least the Proto-Renaissance in art history. The Trecento was als ...

art Duccio is credited with creating. His style is characterized by delicate figures rendered in ''

grisaille Grisaille ( or ; , from ''gris'' 'grey') means in general any European painting that is painted in grey. History Giotto used grisaille in the lower registers of his frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua () and Robert Campin, Jan van Ey ...

,'' accented with touches of

color Color (or colour in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though co ...

. Pucelle was a major contributor towards the development of manuscript illumination. By the 1380s, French art of illumination can be divided into two, one of which included artists following on the stylistic traditions of Pucelle, the other being Flemish realism.

Notable works

*'' The Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux'', a private prayer book done as a royal commission for the queen of France, Jeanne d'Évreux (c. 1324–28), which reflects the '' Maestà'' (c. 1325) by Duccio. *'' Belleville Breviary'' believed to have been owned by

Jeanne de Clisson Jeanne de Clisson (1300–1359), also known as Jeanne de Belleville and the Lioness of Brittany, was a French/Breton people, Breton noblewoman who became a privateer to avenge her husband after he was executed for treason by King Philip VI of Fr ...

. *He is also credited with the Franciscan

breviary A breviary () is a liturgical book used in Christianity for praying the canonical hours, usually recited at seven fixed prayer times. Historically, different breviaries were used in the various parts of Christendom, such as Aberdeen Breviar ...

believed to have once been owned by Blanche of France. *His earliest documented work is believed to be the design for the great seal of the Confraternity of the Hospital of in Paris, indicating that Pucelle worked and designed in a variety of media ranging from enamels to stained glass. Pucelle's proto-Renaissance style is evident in ''The Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux'', the ''Belleville Breviary'' and the Bible of Robert de Billyng, which all displayed such features as sculpturally modeled figures, three-dimensional treatment of space and a new form of psychological expression.

References

External links

JSTOR: "Jean Pucelle: A Re-Examination of the Evidence", Kathleen Morand, ''The Burlington Magazine,'' June 1961

Jean Pucelle: Innovation and Collaboration in Manuscript Painting (Studies in Medieval and Early Renaissance Art History) edited by Kyunghee Pyun and Anna Russakoff (Brepols, 2013)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pucelle, Jean 1300s births 1355 deaths French illustrators French manuscript illuminators