Ferrell-Vogüé Machaut Manuscript

The most comprehensive collection of the works of the French poet and composer Guillaume de Machaut (ca. 1330–77)
The diverse work is furnished with 118 miniatures by the Bouqueteaux Master and thirteen assistants
The comprehensive manuscript boasts 784 pages, gathering together almost all of Machaut's secular music

Ferrell-Vogüé Machaut Manuscript

MS Ferrell-Vogüé Parker Library, Corpus Christi College (Cambridge, United Kingdom)

Description

Ferrell-Vogüé Machaut Manuscript

The Ferrell-Vogüé Machaut Manuscript is the greatest and most comprehensive manuscript with the works of the French poet and composer Guillaume de Machaut (ca. 1300–1377). On 784 lavish pages one finds ballads, virelais, and Rondeaus, which form the primary work of his musical creativity. The Messe de Nostre Dame, which originated ca. 1360/65 and is the first time the Ordinary that was completely set to polyphonic music as a cycle, is certainly of particular importance. Shorter allegorical tales in verse and romances round out the collection. The diverse work is furnished with 118 miniatures by the Bouqueteaux Master, who worked on the manuscript along with eight other artists from his workshop and five scribes. The charming depictions are spread through the entire manuscript and relate fabulous stories of chivalry, mythology, and nature.

Ferrell-Vogüé Machaut Manuscript

The Ferrell-Vogüé Machaut Manuscript, one of the most important sources for the works of Guillaume de Machaut (ca. 1300–1377), was thought to be lost for over 70 years. The work, which nearly contains the entire body of work by the French poet and composer, first resurfaced ca. 2000. The comprehensive manuscript proudly boasts 784 pages, gathering together almost all of his secular ballads, virelais, and Rondeaus. The Frenchman’s literary work was mostly limited to short allegorical tales in verse and romances. 118 splendid miniatures by the Bouqueteaux Master and his workshop provide a royal overall impression, which tell stories from the lives of knights, mythology, and natural history.

Machaut as a Composer

The music by Guillaume de Machaut take up 235 pages of the manuscript. Among the numerous ballads, virelais, and Rondeaus, the Messe de Nostre Dame stands out. The work originated ca. 1360/65 and is considered to be the first time the Ordinary was set completely to four-part music as a cycle. Previously, it had been typical to sing the individual parts of the Ordinary monophonically. Thanks to this innovation, among others, Machaut is considered today to be one of the most important composers of the Ars Nova.

Vivid Miniatures for Representational Purposes

The Ferrell-Vogüé Machaut Manuscript is the greatest and most comprehensive of the manuscripts that survive today. It is assumed that Machaut promoted the production of such books for the representational purposes of the members of the French royal house. This purpose also explains the 118 enchanting miniatures originating from the workshop of the Bouqueteaux Master. Also known as the Grove Master for his depiction of parasol-like trees gathered in sparse groups to form forests, he collaborated with eight additional artists and five scribes. The inviting illustrations are arranged in the two-column text at richly varied intervals, with a plain frame enclosing them with delicate tendrils.

Codicology

Alternative Titles: Ferrell-Vogüé Machaut Handschrift
Codex Vogüé
Type: Manuscript on parchment
Size / Format: 784 pages / 31.4 × 22.0 cm
Origin: France
Date: Ca. 1370–1372
Epochs: Late Middle Ages Onwards
Style: Gothic
Genre: Music
Literature / Poetry
Language: French
Illustrations: 118 Gothic miniatures, which include chivalric and romantic motifs, but also mythological and natural history themes
Content: Machaut's secular ballads, virelais and rondeaus, including the Messe de Nostre Dame and a four-part mass setting
Artist / School: Guillaume de Machaut (author)
Workshop of the Master of the Bible of Jean de Sy (illuminators)
Previous Owners: Jean, duc de Berry
Gaston Fébus, comte de Foix
Yolande de Bar, queen of Aragon
Alfonso the Magnanimous, king of Aragon
Vogüé family
Nathan Wildenstein
James E. and Elizabeth J. Ferrell

Available facsimile editions:

Detail Picture

Ferrell-Vogüé Machaut Manuscript

Iris Kneels before the God of Sleep

The mythological messenger of the gods is depicted as an angel kneeling before a crowned king sitting on a low pedestal. Iris and the god of Sleep are connected by a white, blue, and red rainbow – the colors used in the Jean de Syr Master’s ornamental frames – in a composition resembling an Annunciation scene. While the god of Sleep passively listens with his hands on his knees, Iris holds her right hand over her heart in a sign of respect and gestures with her left indicating communication.

Single Page

Ferrell-Vogüé Machaut Manuscript

The House of the God of Sleep

Upper left: Juno sends Iris to the house of the god of Sleep, which has wooden rafters visible under the roof and is surrounded by trees to block out the light. Although depicted as a many-winged angel with a halo here, Iris only has two wings in the next miniature below it in the column, where she appears humbly before the god of Sleep.

He sits on a curule seat and slumbers on a pillow and blankets set up on the writing-stand in a satirical version of an author portrait with the deity creating dreams. His attendants stand behind him and hold his baton of office while three noblemen fashionably dressed for travel look on. To the right, the god of sleep lies in his bed, still wearing his crown, as four birds with human heads fly to him.

Facsimile Editions

#1 The Ferrell-Vogüé Machaut Manuscript

DIAMM – London, 2014

Publisher: DIAMM – London, 2014

Binding: Red hardcover, facsimile and commentary volume come in a matching slipcase.

Commentary: 1 volume by Lawrence Earp Marshburn, Domenic Leo, Carla J. Shapreau and Christopher de Hamel
Language: English

1 volume: This facsimile is not complete. Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The pages are presented on a larger white background. The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.

Facsimile Copy Available!

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