Jean Colombe and the French Renaissance: one of the most beautiful and largest apocalypse manuscripts of the Middle Ages
Apocalypse of the Dukes of Savoy
Savoy (France) — Between 1428 and 1490

Apocalypse of the Dukes of Savoy
Savoy (France) — Between 1428 and 1490
A product of 40 years of labor during the 15th century by Jean Bapteur, Peronet Lamy, and Jean Colombe
Widely agreed to be one of the most beautiful hand-written and illuminated books of the Middle Ages
A treasure trove of the rich and powerful dukes of Savoy for generations

Apocalypse of the Dukes of Savoy
The Pale Horseman
“And I looked, and behold, a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him...” (Rev. 6:8). The Fourth Horseman comes forth as the Lamb of God breaks the Fourth Seal in the upper-right corner. He is not only followed by the Hellmouth, but pulls it with wheels made of the contorted bodies of demons on a herring-bone patterned brick road. An eagle strikes out at St. John in the margin as the strife of the Apocalypse even puts him in conflict with his own symbol.
Apocalypse of the Dukes of Savoy
- Figurated Apocalypse of the Dukes of Savoy
- Apocalipsis figurado de los Duques de Saboya
- Apokalypse der Herzöge von Savoyen
Short Description
The Apocalypse of the Dukes of Savoy can be safely called one of the most beautiful hand-written and illuminated books of the Middle Ages. The precious masterpiece was continuously worked on between 1428 and 1468, the greatest French illuminators participated in its manufacture. A sophisticated system of illustration accounts for the special charm of the fantastic picture book.
Apocalypse of the Dukes of Savoy
The Apocalypse of the Dukes of Savoy is a precious manuscript that was written and illuminated by the famous French book master Jean Bapteur. The precious, gorgeously designed codex contains 97 miniatures altogether, which are ordered according to a well-thought system. Nearly every page of the document is magnificently illuminated. The codex originated at the behest of the Dukes of Savoy, in particular Duke Amadeus VII has been associated with this valuable Apocalypse manuscript.
A Turbulent History
Amadeus VIII, the first Duke of Savoy, commissioned the manuscript in the year 1428. He entrusted his court painter Jean Bapteur with its design. Beginning in 1433, Bapteur was supported by the no-less-talented illuminator Peronet Lamy. This prolonged design period makes it clear what outstanding quality the precious book treasure possesses. 47 pages of the document are considered to be the work of Bapteur. The remaining pictures he designed in collaboration with Peronet Lamy, a few of them originate wholly from Lamy’s pen. In the year 1434, Duke Amadeus withdrew to his palace of Ripailla near Thonon-les-Bains. He took the yet-incomplete Apocalypse with him, in order to read it aloud to himself. In 1468 his great-grandson Charles I had the work completed by his court painter Jean Colombe. This was at the very same time that he was occupied with the legendary and world famous book treasure known as the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry. Colombe appended the Apocalypse of the Dukes of Savoy with 23 missing pictures and took special care to adhere to the design system of its originator, Bapteur.
Traditional Work
The work is an abridged version of the Book of Revelation, written in black ink and accompanied by a traditional commentary by the monk Berengaudus. Red characters highlight important text elements. The special approach to the biblical text with a clarifying commentary was widespread in the spiritual literature of medieval France. The text and also the illustration of the masterpiece are strongly oriented on similar works from England. The primary source of inspiration was probably the Apocalypse of Lambeth Palace.
A Highpoint of Medieval Book Art
The manuscript contains 104 pages altogether. The pages are all designed according to a sophisticated system. The upper part of a page always contains a miniature, which illustrate the text under the image. It contains 97 miniatures, only the last pages of the work were not illustrated. The vignettes of the miniatures typically exhibit a depiction of John the Evangelist. This depiction corresponds generally with the primary scene of the respective illustration. Enchanting and diverse motifs adorn the page margins, one sees animal patterns, plant tendrils, and other playful patterns.
Codicology
- Alternative Titles
- Figurated Apocalypse of the Dukes of Savoy
Apocalipsis figurado de los Duques de Saboya
Apokalypse der Herzöge von Savoyen - Size / Format
- 104 pages / 41.5 x 26.5 cm
- Origin
- Savoy (France)
- Date
- Between 1428 and 1490
- Epochs
- Style
- Genre
- Language
- Illustrations
- 97 miniatures in French Gothic art
- Artist / School
- Jean Bapteur
Péronet Lamy
Jean Colombe

Apocalypse of the Dukes of Savoy
Martyrdom of St. John
Although most modern scholars agree that the author of the Book of Revelation was a certain John of Patmos, during the Middle Ages it was still believed that it was the work of John the Evangelist, who wrote the Fourth Gospel. Medieval iconography concerning him is rooted in the apocryphal Acts of St. John, in which the Evangelist is martyred when he is plunged into a vat of boiling oil.
The story of John and his martyrdom is typically presented at the beginning of medieval Apocalypse manuscripts, but rarely with the degree of artistic refinement found here. The finest pigments and gold leaf have been employed with realistically rendered people clothed in the fashions of Renaissance Italy. All is presented within a frame of elegant floral tendrils.
2 available facsimile edition(s) of „Apocalypse of the Dukes of Savoy“
Apocalipsis Figurado de los Duques de Saboya
- Publisher
- Club Bibliófilo Versol – Madrid, 2009
- Limited Edition
- 666 copies
- Binding
- Red leather embossed in gold on wood. 2 metal clasps.
- Commentary
-
1 volume
Language: Spanish - More Information
- Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Apocalipsis figurado de los Duques de Saboya
- Publisher
- Edilan – Madrid, 1980
- Limited Edition
- 1000 copies
- Binding
- Morocco leather with golden ornamentation
- Commentary
-
1 volume (131 pages) by Carmen Santiago Agut
Language: Spanish - More Information
- Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
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