Chronicle of King John I

The beautifully illuminated Chronicle of King John I is the first part of a chronicle about the reign of John I (1357–1433). His son and heir to the throne, Edward I (1391–1438), appointed Fernão Lopes (c. 1385 – after 1459) as royal chronicler in 1434 and commissioned the historical work, which recounts the socio-political upheavals and the rise of John. The text thus provides a thrilling impression of the beginnings of the age of European discoveries and great seafarers and bears witness to numerous Portuguese expeditions in search of unknown lands. The artistic embellishment of this precious 16th-century Renaissance copy is particularly striking, with dozens of fantastical initials made up of human figures, animals, and other bodies and objects, accompanied by marginal illuminations. Stylistically, they are strongly influenced by Flemish Renaissance book illumination and may have originated from the circle of António de Holanda (c. 1480–1571).