Robinet Testard (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1470–1531) was a French illuminator and

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

, whose works are difficult to attribute since none of them was signed or dated. He is known to have worked for the family of

Charles, Count of Angoulême Charles of Orléans (1459 – 1 January 1496) () was the Count of Angoulême from 1467 until his death. He succeeded his father, John, and was initially under the regency of his mother, Margaret of Rohan, assisted by Jean I de La Rochefoucauld, o ...

(1459–96) in

Cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cogn ...

, and made

Valet de Chambre ''Valet de chambre'' (), or ''varlet de chambre'', was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal households had many persons appointed at any time. While some valets simply waited on ...

to the family in 1484. When the Count of Angoulême died in 1496, Testard accepted service with the Count's widow,

Louise of Savoy Louise of Savoy (11 September 1476 – 22 September 1531) was a French noble and regent, Duchess ''suo jure'' of Auvergne (province), Auvergne and House of Bourbon, Bourbon, Duchess of Nemours and the mother of King Francis I of France, Francis I ...

, and is mentioned at the time of her death in 1531. Testard started his career in

Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...

. His works include a page in a ''Missal for Poitiers Use'', the ''La Rochefoucauld Hours'', and two other ''

Books of Hours A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, mo ...

''. His middle period, characterised by tight compositions and sharply defined colouring, is typified by his ''

Roman de la Rose ''Le Roman de la Rose'' (''The Romance of the Rose'') is a medieval poem written in Old French and presented as an allegory">allegorical romantic love is disclosed. Its two authors conceived it as a psychological allegory; throughout the Lover' ...

'', the ''Nouailher Missal'' and the ''

Book of Hours A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

'', probably painted for Charles, Count of Angoulême about 1480. Surprisingly, 17 engravings by Israhel van Meckenem were included in the tome and coloured by Testard. He produced another ''Book of Hours'', a copy of

Dioskurides Pedanius Dioscorides (, ; 40–90 AD), "the father of pharmacognosy", was a Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist, and author of (in the original , , both meaning "On Materia medica, Medical Material") , a 5-volume Greek encyclopedic phar ...

and mythological illustrations after

Solinus __NOTOC__ Gaius Julius Solinus, better known simply as Solinus, was a Latin grammarian, geographer, and compiler who probably flourished in the early 3rd century AD. Historical scholar Theodor Mommsen dates him to the middle of the 3rd century. ...

and Pliny titled ''Les Secrets de l'histoire naturelle contenant les merveilles et choses memorables du monde''. He also illustrated

Matthaeus Platearius Matthaeus Platearius was a physician from the medical school at Salerno, and is thought to have produced a twelfth-century Latin manuscript on medicinal herbs titled "''Circa Instans''" (also known as "''The Book of Simple Medicines''"), later tra ...

' "''The Book of

Simple Simple or SIMPLE may refer to: *Simplicity, the state or quality of being simple Arts and entertainment * ''Simple'' (album), by Andy Yorke, 2008, and its title track * "Simple" (Florida Georgia Line song), 2018 * "Simple", a song by John ...

Medicines''" The British Library Catalogue
/ref>

External links

Horae ad usum Parisiensem 1475-1500
(The Hours of Charles d’Angoulême)
MS. Douce 195
(Le roman de la rose)
''Héroïdes ou Epîtres''''Le livre des échecs amoureux moralisés''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Testard, Robinet 15th-century French painters French male painters 16th-century French painters