In 2012, the Getty Museum purchased a sumptuously illuminated manuscript of the pseudohistorical romance of the Flemish knight Gillion de Trazegnies. This exciting tale, first written in French between 1453 and 1460, follows Gillion as he embarks on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, is captured by the sultan of Egypt and forced into fighting on the sultan’s behalf, and accidentally ends up committing bigamy by marrying the sultan’s daughter. The tale continues by recounting the paralleled exploits of his twin sons by his European wife, who journeys to the East to find their father. Ordered by Louis de Gruuthuse, one of the leading bibliophiles of the fifteenth century, no expense was spared for this book. Written by the ducal scribe David Aubert and painted by one of the finest illuminators of the period, Lieven van Lathem, this book marks a high point in a period already noted for spectacular book production. Elizabeth Morrison and Zrinka Stahuljak’s monograph provides an excellent introduction to this manuscript that is both accessible to general readers as well as to specialists in the field. After a brief introduction, the bulk of this monograph concerns the text itself, including a summary of this fascinating and exciting romance, translations of the text on pages with miniatures, and summaries of the text associated with the historiated initials. The final two chapters offer the bulk of the analysis of this manuscript: Stahuljak offers contextual analysis of the manuscript, the text, the artwork, and the patron, while Morrison analyzes the book as an object and its place within the oeuvres of its artisans.

While the original romance was shorter, the Getty manuscript is one of two elongated versions that are accompanied by sumptuous illumination. The second manuscript, now in a private collection in Dülmen, Germany, was ordered by Anthony of Burgundy and completed in the same workshops as the Getty manuscript. Stahuljak places both manuscripts within the context of Burgundian crusading zealotry of the mid-fifteenth century, showing how the text was adapted and elongated to fit the personal concerns of its two patrons. According to its colophon, Aubert completed the Dülmen manuscript in 1463 shortly before Anthony was appointed commander of Philip’s ill-fated crusading fleet. The Getty manuscript includes a dedicatory prologue that is dated to 1464, and Stahuljak argues convincingly that the book was made to celebrate Louis de Gruuthuse’s appointment as secretary general of Holland, Zeeland, and Friesland, as well as commemorating his entrance to the Order of the Golden Fleece. Stahuljak conjectures that Jean de Créquy might have been the author of the original romance, an intriguing hypothesis that bears further research. Less convincing, however, is her suggestion that Lieven van Lathem’s conception of the frontispiece—which shows the circumstances of the manuscript’s original discovery in an abbey rather than a traditional presentation scene—is rooted in a self-conscious concept of translation as trade. Given the artist’s penchant for narrative drama and the fact that presentation scenes rarely involve patrons other than royalty or dukes at this time, it is more likely that propriety and the appeal of the discovery story governed this decision.

Elizabeth Morrison’s chapter offers a clear and compelling reconstruction of the original manuscript. Several leaves are missing today, including several pages of text, large miniatures, and historiated initials, but Morrison leads the reader through the clues that offer evidence for the book’s original appearance. She also convincingly argues that the Dülmen manuscript likely served as the model for the Getty manuscript. Moreover, she rightly suggests that while the Dülmen manuscript was a workshop product overseen by Lieven van Lathem, the master himself likely decorated the Getty manuscript.

This is a handsome volume, rich with color illustrations, including a complete set of excellent photographs of all the illuminations within the manuscript. Scholars will particularly appreciate the similarly excellent reproductions of the less well-known and inaccessible Dülmen manuscript. While there is still room for more research, particularly in the relationship between image and text, Morrison and Stahuljak are to be commended on producing such an excellent introduction to this fascinating and magnificent manuscript.