Miniature On Parchment - The Fall Of The Rebel Angels - School Of Tours - 1470-1480

The miniature on parchment depicts the fall of the rebel angels, from the

Book of the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah XIV:12-14), surrounded by a border of precious stones. Minor abrasions but overall well preserved. Isaiah points to the Archangel Michael as he judges Lucifer and his followers, who are cast into hell where they transform into green devils.

The angels with crossed arms trace the miniature to the School of Tours of the late 15th century. They first appeared in two Annunciations, one in Jean Poyer's

Heures Briconnet of 1485 and another in another Book of Hours, ca. 1485-1490 - now at the MET - by Jean Bourdichon. Jean Poyer (or Poyet), documented from 1465 to 1498 and died before 1504, was in the service of Anne of Brittany, wife of two French kings (Louis XII of France (c. 1499–1514), Charles VIII of France (c. 1491–1498), and worked at the court of Tours between the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Jean Bourdichon (b. 1457–1521) was the most important miniaturist at the court of France during the reigns of Louis XI, Charles VIII, Louis XII, and Francis I. It is difficult to establish which of the two created the angel with crossed arms, but we know that such figures appear in numerous miniatures by artists belonging to the School of Tours of the same period (for example, the Master of the Missal della Rovere, the Master of Jean Charpentier, the Master of Martainville 183). Another peculiarity introduced by the two artists It is the custom to draw the main figures with blue eyes like our Isaiah, which confirms the Touring influence of the miniature. Furthermore, we note that the representation of hell is similar, in terms of figures but especially colors, to that of Le Mauves Riche tourmentè en enfer (The Rich Man in Hell) from the Book of Hours of Tillot by Poyer. Therefore, we are inclined to attribute the miniature to the entourage of Poyet rather than that of Bourdichon, although it is very difficult to classify/baptize it in a specific context since the two artists collaborated on several works.