The present illuminated leaf depicts Saint Luke, identifiable by the presence of his symbol, the winged bull. Saint Luke is busy writing his Gospel in a study filled with books arranged on the desk and on the small shelf in the background. Noteworthy are the amusing elements of daily life, such as jugs or small slippers. The illuminated leaf originates from a large, luxurious, and richly illuminated Book of Hours which remains unidentified. Currently and to our knowledge, this Saint Luke is the only known illuminated leaf from this Book of Hours. The original patron.ess of the Book of Hours remains unidentified, but the presence of the coats of arms of France and Grenoble on the edge of the desk suggests that the patron was likely based in the Dauphiné, certainly in Grenoble, a location further confirmed by stylistic analysis and the attribution of this miniature.

Stylistically, this painting of Saint Luke at his desk is characterized by a marked brushstroke and a firm gesture that contrast with a softer touch and a generous application of paint, adding a certain thickness to the present illumination. The composition is clear and readable while showing a slight misunderstanding in the conception of space, particularly in the arrangement of the walls, on the left and right side. The face of Saint Luke shows great attention to detail, such as the wrinkles on the forehead of the saint, that are clearly marked by relatively sharp plays of shadow and light, as well as the visible teeth of the saint, which seems to be typical for this artist. These stylistic elements allow us to attribute, without doubt, this impressive miniature to a still very mysterious French illuminator deserving more attention: the Master of Foljambe (active in Dauphiné, Grenoble?, second half of the 15th century). This artist is named after the former owner of his most sumptuous Book of Hours, the collector Francis Ferrand Foljambe (1749-1814). Besides this Book of Hours, only four other manuscripts and one detached miniature, all in public institutions, are attributed to the Master of Foljambe: a Book of Hours (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, nouv. acq. fr. 28877), an exemplar of the Fiore di Vertu (New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, ms. M. 771), an exemplar of the Vie de notre Seigneur (Oxford, Bodleian Library, ms. Douce 134), an exemplar of the Histoire ancienne jusqu’à César (Oxford, Bodleian Library, ms. Douce 353) and a miniature of Saint Mark now in Philadelphia (Free library of Philadelphia, Lewis E M 10:6), which is extremely close to the Saint Luke at hand. Through the process of comparison, our stunning Saint Luke at his desk likely dates from the end of the artist’s career, around 1465-1470. The Master of Foljambe’s style also recalls the production from Lyon, Savoy, or even Geneva of a few years earlier, with artists like Peronnet Lamy or Jean Bapteur.

Most manuscripts attributed to the Master of Foljambe show clues of provenance placing them in the Dauphiné region (certainly in Grenoble), a geographical area that remains very vague in terms of artistic production of the late Middle Ages. Thus, this illumination is an important addition to the corpus d’œuvre of the Master of Foljambe and to the study of illuminated production in the Dauphiné and its connections with cities like Geneva.

We thank Dr Mireia Castaño and Dr Alix Buisseret for their expertise.