MASTER of the Hours of Maréchal de Boucicaut
(active 1405-1420 in Paris)

Biography

Master of the Hours of Maréchal de Boucicaut, generally called the Boucicaut Master, was a Franco-Flemish illuminator. In the early 1400s, the Boucicaut Master was the leading master of manuscript illumination in Paris and one of the most influential artists working in the International style in northern Europe. The Boucicaut Master appears to have supervised a talented team of artists who produced manuscripts commissioned by the king of France, high-ranking aristocrats, and the wealthy bourgeoisie. He probably also made works sold on the open market. He produced illuminations of exceptional naturalism that capture the elegance and refinement of court taste. The name Boucicaut derives from the identification of his hand in a Book of Hours made for the Maréchal de Boucicaut, Jean le Meingre II, the marshal of France (Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris).

According to a recent, debated suggestion, the Boucicaut Master can be identified with the Flemish painter Jacques Coene from Bruges.



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