Master of Mary of Burgundy
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The Master of Mary of Burgundy was a Flemish illuminator, painter and draughtsman active between 1469-1483 in Flanders, probably in Ghent. His notname is derived from two books of hours attributed to him, the Vienna Hours of Mary of Burgundy and another books of hours, now in Berlin, also for Mary of Burgundy.[1]
He was influenced by advances in oil on canvas panel painting, especially the works and approach of Hugo van der Goes, and may have been also a painter himself. His illuminations are characterised by a tendency towards a dark palette,[2] an aesthetic favoured by the court of the time, as well as innovative uses of trompe-l'œil devices in both his miniatures and border decorations. While a relatively small number of works have been attributed to him, the master is seen as one of the chief innovators of late 15th century manuscript illumination.
One of the most talented and innovative artists of his generation, he is known to have been influenced by contemporary panel painters, including van der Goes, Justus van Gent, Rogier van der Weyden, and Jan van Eyck,[3] although in tone and style only, direct figurative borrowings are rare,[2] and he may himself have been a panel painter - both van Eyck and Rogier are known to have worked on illuminations.
Other works attributed to the master include miniatures in the Prayer Book of Charles the Bold (Ms. 37) in the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Hours of Engelbert of Nassau in the Bodleian Library, in Oxford.
