3-042-349 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Varro in His Study; Cité de Dieu, about 1440-1450. Additional info: The City of God one of the premier theological works and a major example of vernacular texts of the Middle Ages. Comprising the second portion (Books XI to XXII) of St. Augustine's City of God, the manuscript houses commentary by Raoul de Presles (c. 1314-1383), former advisor to Charles V of France, who translated the text from Latin to French. Commissioned by Jean VI du Bellay the Younger (d.1479), abbot of St-Florent-les Saumur, this manuscript is believed to be the only surviving book from his library. The City of God was made by a team of professional scribes and artists, active in the nearby city of Nantes, which produced both religious and secular manuscripts. Two artists are primarily responsible for the illustrations, one being the Master of the Geneva Boccaccio (active about 1445-1470) and the other being the Master of the Oxford Hours (active about 1440s).