JEAN HORTART DIT D'ÉCOSSE: THE MASTER OF THE VIENNA ROMAN DE LA ROSE

 

 

 

 

Initially mistaken for a Flemish artist, the Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose was named so in 1925 by Friedrich Winkler. It is only in 1993 that François Avril correctly recognized the illuminator as a French artist working in Lyon during the mid-15th century. Through recent studies and documentary evidence, the Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose is now identified with Jean Hortart ("Janin l'enlumineur, dit d'Écosse"), who originates from Bourges and is documented in Lyon. The artist developed a distinctive style that evolved from a fine, meticulous brushwork to a more pointillist technique with softer modeling influenced by Flemish Primitives. Working in Lyon, in the middle of the Rhodanien current, the Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose (Jean Hortart) is a perfect case for the fascinating study of artistic exchanges along the Rhône River and for the understanding of the reception of stylistic influences in cities from Avignon to Geneva. The present illuminated leaf depicting Saint Luke dates c. 1465 and originated from an identified Book of Hours from which only one other sister leaf is currently located. The miniature at hand perfectly exemplifies the artist's mature style, with its pointillist technique that recalls the formulas of Barthélemy d'Eyck.

 

 

 

First identified in 1925 by art historian Friedrich Winkler (1888-1965) based on the manuscript that gives the artist his nickname, the magnificent copy of the Roman de la Rose held in Vienna (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, cod. 2568, a manuscript that Gustave Waagen considered illuminated by an artist of Hubert van Eyck's generation), the illuminator was initially confused with a Flemish artist. He was subsequently compared to Jean Fouquet and then to Barthélemy d'Eyck, before being judiciously associated with artists active at the court of Amadeus VIII in Savoy. It was in 1993 that specialist François Avril definitively situated this artist's activity in Lyon and enriched his corpus with several works that allow for a clearer understanding of a unique personality active in a then little-known artistic center.

 

 

The Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose developed a personal and recognizable style: in his youth, the illuminator is defined by a fine brushstroke and remarkable meticulousness of treatment that finds its best example in the Roman de la Rose copy. Having come into contact with the formulas of the Flemish Primitives, particularly Barthélemy d'Eyck, the Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose's style evolved and is characterized, in his last phase of activity, by a more pointillist application and softer modeling. The Eyckian contribution to the Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose's work is clearly perceptible, for example, in the beautiful figure he painted in the Collection of astrological texts (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, ms. lat. 7321), while his softer, somewhat blurred brushwork, can be illustrated by the Collection of poetic texts preserved in Berlin (Kupferstichkabinett, ms. 78 C 7).

 

Recently studied by Mireia Castaño, who published the first monograph dedicated to the artist, the Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose emerges as one of the rare and best representatives of illumination from the mid-15th century in Lyon. The artist's style is related to the influences that circulated through commercial exchanges, following the natural axis of the Rhône. This current originated from Avignon and traveled up the Rhône toward Lyon and Geneva. The formulas of artists active in Provence, including the famous Barthélemy d'Eyck, reached the city of Lyon, where the Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose absorbed them. His style, in turn, influenced the city of Geneva and its surroundings, finding echoes among Savoyard artists like Jean Bapteur or the Master of Foljambe. Thanks to the economic growth in Lyon around 1460, notably due to the important fairs held there, numerous patrons and artists traveled there; thus, the influence of Jean Fouquet and his followers can be found in the late works of the Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose. It is therefore interesting to note that the Lyon illuminator painted two Equestrian portraits in the Armorial of Gilles le Bouvier, a manuscript in which Jean Fouquet later added one portrait (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, ms. fr. 4985).

 

Published in the artist's catalogue raisonné, the present illuminated leaf depicts Saint Luke and comes from an identified Book of Hours particularly interesting as it could be one of the only witnesses of the master's activity in Valence, and more broadly one of the rare traces of manuscripts production in Valence. Last appearing in 1990 at Sotheby's, the Book of Hours (already incomplete) contained fifteen illuminations. The Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose (Jean Hortart) painted the three evangelists, while an anonymous artist from Lyon is responsible for painting the twelve other illuminations. Of all the sister leaves, only Saint Matthew is located: it was sold alongside the present Saint Luke in New York 2014 and most probably bought by the same collector. In 2018, the Saint Matthew was sold by the collector, along with a portion of his collection, to the University of North Texas.

 

The present Saint Luke shows all the stylistic characteristics that define the last years of activity of the Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose (Jean Hortart): volumes are rendered through the accumulation of small dots and careful treatment of shadows and lights, which minutely model the saint's face. The quick brushstroke, the vaporous aspect and morphological characteristics of the present Saint Luke compare particularly well with the paintings the master created in two Books of Hours, both held in Paris (Bibliothèque nationale de France, ms. nouv. acq. lat. 3213, and ms. lat. 1353) and executed, like our miniature, around 1465.

 

With its vivid colors, its remarkable treatment of volumes, and its meticulous rendering of modeling, the miniature at hand is a charming example of the art of the Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose, now identified with Jean Hortart. Important artist that sheds light on the manuscripts production in Lyon during the mid-15th century, Jean Hortart is also a unique representative of the Rhodanien current, the fascinating question of the exchanges of stylistic influences following the Rhône, from Geneva to Avignon.