MINIATURIST, Hungarian
(active in 1330s)

Anjou Legendarium

1330s
Manuscript (Vat. lat. 8541), 283 x 215 mm
Biblioteca Apostolica, Vatican

This collection of legends were made on the occasion of the Italian journey of Charles Robert of Anjou and the child Prince Andrew. Fragments of this collection can be found in the Vatican, in the Morgan Library, New York and in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg. The collection contains stories from the life of saints important for the House of Anjou. It was intended for children with brief text for the picture.

The decoration of each page consists of four scenes, framed and accompanied by captions giving an account of the lives of the saints. Although each is autonomous, they are nevertheless linked by content.

The illumination show clear Bolognese influence and appears to have been executed by three or four artists. They were either Italian masters working in Hungary or Hungarian illuminators who had trained in Bologna.

The picture shows a typical page (folio 80).