[Saint Ivo with two praying donators].

Miniature painting on vellum, 28,5 x 19 cm, gold- and silver paint (edges sl. browned, sm. repair at lower left corner, oxidation of the silver in the window).

Mounted under sm. wooden frame.

Excellent vellum leaf from a book of hours, attributed to the Master of the Ango Hours (ca. 1510-1530) depicting St Ivo flanked by Etienne de Berbisey (counselor at the Parliament of Dijon) and his wife Anne Moisson. The scene is set in an antique architectural loggia, characteristic of French Renaissance ornament as was fashionable under King François I and George d'Amboise. The architecture bears the inscription "Ad Beati yvonis gloriam / via[m] tuam d [omi]ne demonstra michi". St Ivo, patron of lawyers, enjoyed particularly strong devotion in Brittany and Normandy. Two mermaids each carry an unidentified escutcheon. The kneeling man is most likely a laywer, active at the newly established Palais de Justice of Rouen (1507). The miniature is a perfect example of the style of the Master of the Ango Hours, who was known for his elaborate Renaissance architectural frames and his opalescent flesh-tones. Other manuscripts with illuminations by the artist are part of the BNF or Pierpont Morgan Library. The attribution has been made by Prof. Dr. em. Eberhard König (Universität Berlin).