Grandes Chroniques de France, in French, three miniatures on cuttings from an illuminated manuscript on vellum

3 cuttings, (a) the coronation of Louis VI at Laon, 19 June 936, miniature 76 mm. by 88 mm., on a cutting 140 mm. by 122 mm., the king seated, crowned by Archbishop Artold and given the sceptre by another bishop, a priest and nobles in attendance; (b) King Edward I of England paying homage to Philip IV in 1299, miniature 81 mm. by 90 mm., on a cutting 196 mm. by 134 mm., Philip the Fair enthroned and attended by three nobles, Edward I falling on one knee and reaching out his right hand, attended by his mace-bearer; and (c) the Battle of Poitiers, 19 September 1356, miniature 78 mm. by 83 mm., on a cutting 192 mm. by 269 mm. (the entire upper half of a leaf, now folded over), the French king Jean II with an axe at the head of his army confronting the armies of the English under the Black Prince using long bows; each miniature above a 4- to 6-line initial in blue and burnished gold (the French royal colours) with extensive penwork in dark blue and red with borders of half fleurs-de-lys in blue and gold extending upwards beside the miniatures, parts of 2 columns of text, ruled in black, double column width 198 mm., up to 29 lines here in letter bâtarde in brown ink, headings in red, paragraph-marks in blue or burnished gold, the second miniature slightly smudged, the third rubbed, in card mounts, in a red leather case

From a private collection, and by descent to the present owner.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Grandes Chroniques de France was the supreme royal text of the kings of France, and a statement of the divine glory and chivalric destiny of the Valois family and their forebears.  Many copies were made for Charles VI (king 1380-1422) and his uncle the Duc de Berry (1340-1416) and manuscripts were clearly given as symbolic presents.  Two of the cuttings here show the English at a disadvantage (even though, in fact, the English defeated the French at Poitiers and took Jean II prisoner).  Four cuttings from the same manuscript were sold at Christie's, 27 June 1979, lot 148, and are now in a private collection in Belgium.  These are cited in Anne D. Hedeman, The Royal Image, Illustrations of the Grandes Chroniques de France, 1274-1422, 1991, pp. 185 and 195, where they are ascribed to the second artist of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, ms fr. 823.  This is the celebrated manuscript of Guillaume de Deguileville, Pèlerinage de la vie humaine, which includes the name of Perrin Rémiet, an illuminator recorded in Paris from 1368 to c. 1420.  The late Michael Camille decided that the first hand of ms fr. 823 was that of Rémiet (Master of Death, 1996, esp. pp. 13-25, and passim).  Others, including F. Avril ('Trois manuscrits napolitains des collections de Charles V et de Jean de Berry', Bibliothèque de l'École des Chartes, 127, 1969, pp. 291-328), suggest that the second hand – the artist of the present miniatures – was, in fact, that of Rémiet.  See also R. H. and M. A. Rouse, Manuscripts and their Makers, 2000, I, pp. 293-296, and II, p. 115 ("we find Avril's argument persuasive", I, p. 295), and I. Villela-Petit, 'Palettes comparées', Quand la peinture était dans les livres, Avril festschrift, 2007, p. 385.

The same artist  illuminated two other manuscripts of the Grandes Chroniques de France, British Library Add MS 15269 and Turin, Bibl. Naz. Ms L.II.8 (reduced to fragments in the fire of 1904).  He also collaborated in three other copies, BNF mss fr. 2606 and 2616-20, and Valenciennes, Bibl. Mun., ms 637, from the library of the dukes of Burgundy.