The Pontifical of Renaud de Bar

Office for the Dedication of a Church

Texts and Images

This long text has nineteen large miniatures, several of which are displayed on the right. The cycle opens with an illustration of a group of people praying in front of a reliquary (a shrine containing saintly relics) on the eve of the dedication of a church (fol. 1r). It ends with a miniature showing a bishop and clergy processing towards the altar before celebrating the Mass of dedication (fol. 50r).

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1
Detail of the bishop’s blue robe under magnification (10x). The robe was painted with ultramarine mixed with variable amounts of lead white to obtain a range of hues.
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2
Detail of a cleric’s light blue robe under magnification (20x). The delicate hue of the robe was obtained by painting a thin layer of ultramarine blue over a base of lead white. The crisp carbon black outlines contribute to create a three-dimensional effect.
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3
Detail of the decorated initial S under magnification (20x). A dark blue layer of azurite was painted over a lighter-coloured base containing the same pigment. The initial’s decoration lacks the elegance and refinement visible in the miniature’s border (see hotspot 4).
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4
Detail of the miniature’s border under magnification (20x). A light blue layer of azurite was covered with a darker thin layer of ultramarine blue. Smooth lead white lines complete the decoration, incredibly refined despite its small scale.
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5
Detail of the miniature’s background under magnification (20x). Particles of ultramarine blue can be seen mixed with lead white in the criss-crossing lines which decorate the organic pink background.

Bishop anointing an altar with oil (Office for the Dedication of a Church)

The partial bar border and ornamental initial S are decorated with foliate motifs. In the historiated initial E, a standing figure pours oil upon an altar. He may represent the Old Testament patriarch, Jacob, who is mentioned in the accompanying text.

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