Title

Franciscan Breviary

miniaturist

Juan de Carrión [attributed to] [workshop of] (Documented in the last third of the 15th century)

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

Dimensions

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Inventory Number in Current Collection

Object history

Thanks to the coats of arms on folios 8 and 200, it is known that this manuscript was made for the prelate Alfonso Carrillo de Acuña (Bosch, 1989). Before being named bishop of Toledo, Alfonso Carrillo was chaplain to Enrique IV in Segovia between 1458-1465 (Villaseñor, 2009), the dates when this breviary was made. Leroquais (1934) and Saulnier (1982) thought that it was a manuscript made to be used in Segovia, specifically in the cathedral, as it appears in the Dedicatio Ecclesie on folio 4 (Domínguez Rodríguez, 2000).

Regarding the miniatures, Saulnier (1982) considered that two artists had been involved, one of them being Juan de Carrión. For his part, Bosch believed that there were three illuminators who had made the breviary: the Master of the Passion, the Master Alfonso and the Master of the grisaille. Despite the disparity of opinions, Villaseñor (2009) and Domínguez (2000) have joined the hypothesis that the Franciscan breviary was made by Juan de Carrión and his workshop, which was located in Segovia.

Although initially the breviary was in the cathedral of Segovia, at the beginning of the 18th century it was in the hands of Abbot César d'Estrées. He had been sent by Louis XIV to the court of Philip V in Spain as French ambassador and it is possible that he got hold of the manuscript at this time. In 1705 d'Estrées gave the breviary to Roger de Gaigniéres: "Ce bréviaire m'a esté donné le Xº mars 1705 par Monseieur l'abbé d'Estrées, commandeur de lórdre du St Esprit, fils et Frère de MM. les maréschaux d'Estrées et de Coeuvres, qui m'a fait la grâce de me l'apporter deÉspagne où il estoit ambassadeur en 1704, R. de Gaignières" (Avril, 1982). In 1892 Morel-Fatio undertook the task of drawing up a catalog of the Spanish manuscripts kept in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Paris) and at that time the Franciscan Breviary was already there.

Description

The Franciscan Breviary consists of 483 folios. It has 12 miniatures representing the agricultural calendar and 18 more with religious scenes and coats of arms. The decorative plant and animal motifs are reminiscent of those found in the Book of the Knight Zifar, a work of the workshop of Juan de Carrión.

Locations

• Mid XV^th c. - XVII^th c.

  cathedral

  Segovia Cathedral, Segovia (Spain)

• Early XVIII^th c. - ca. 1704

  private collection

  César d’Estrées, Paris (France) *

• ca. 1705

  private collection

  François Roger de Gaignières, Paris (France) *

• ca. 1892 - present

  library

  National Library of France, Paris (France)