The Production of Illuminated Manuscripts around the Papal Curia of Avignon: A New Example Kept in Seville

Abstract

In addition to political and religious importance, the presence of Papal Curia in Avignon promoted artistic creation by supporting an intense production of manuscripts. In recent decades, the historiography has made substantial progress in the knowledge of the miniature produced in that period. However, due to the broad dispersion of the Avignonese books in archives and libraries all over the world, many manuscripts remain still unknown. In this paper we analyze a new finding: a copy of the Regula pastoralis kept in Seville (BCC, ms. 56-1-1). According to our conclusions, its importance is twofold. First, it is an unexplored example of the Avignonese illumination. Secondly, since its decoration is related to the miniature present in the pontificals of Vidal de Blanes and Pedro de Luna, it improves our understanding of the production of manuscripts in the city of the Rhone during the 14th century and the first decades of the 15th.