Large illuminated leaf on vellum with 12 nearly square miniatures (c. 90 x 85mm.) illustrating scenes from the passion, and life of St. Colette, showing also SS. Francis and clare of Assisi. Flanders (?Ghent), c. 1550- 1600
ORDER OF THE POOR CLARES
Size of leaf: 452 x 325mm. The miniatures enclosed within a decorative floral border in liquid gold and colours, in lower border a skull and cross-bones, and a shield with the arms. 1600
This splendid devotional painting shows scenes from the life of a female Franciscan saint, who is shown firstly as a postulant in the presence of SS. Francis and Clare of Assisi, and later as a nun, and then as future saint. The unidentified saint is possibly St. Colette (1381-1447) who was appointed by the antipope Benedict XIII to reform the order of the Poor Clares. Although she was not beatified until the 19th century, the case for her beatification was opened as early as 1453 and she was portrayed as a saint in the famous 15th century manuscript of the life of Colette ( Vita Sanctae Coletae ); that lavish manuscript was produced to celebrate the marriage of Charles the Bold and Margaret of York, and later presented to the convent of the Colettine Poor Clares in Ghent. This manuscript has numerous miniatures in which Colette is portrayed with a halo; and several of these share iconographic parallels with miniatures on our illuminated leaf, especially those showing the reception of St. Colette by the anti-pope Benedict XIII, and her death. It is therefore a possibility that our devotional leaf may also be associated with the same convent in Ghent and is perhaps the work of a Colettine nun for display in one of the Colettine convents. The figure in black in the bottom row of miniatures on the left may be the Dominican and ambassador of Benedict XIII, St. Vincent Ferrer, whom she met 1417 and at whose words she fell into a trance, after which she correctly prophesied his death in 1419.
St. Colette restored or introduced to the convents the practice of absolute poverty and by her death in 1447 had founded 17 new monasteries. Her reforms continued to spread after her death and by the end of the 15th century reformed monasteries throughout France, Flanders, Brabant, Savoy, Spain and Portugal. St. Colette was renowned for her sanctity, ecstacies and visions of the passion, and prophesied her own death in her convent at Ghent in Belgium. The miniatures are arranged in four rows and show the following scenes:
Christ carrying the Cross, the Crucifixion, the Deposition, St. Francis of Assisi presenting a girl to St. Clare (possibly St. Colette), St. Clare praying while her convent (St. Damian, outside Assisi) is attacked by the Saracen soldiers of Frederick II, St. Clare at the Portiuncula with St. Francis (two friars at supper in the background), St. Francis blessing St. Colette, the Virgin and Child with St. Anne, the Pope visiting St. Colette, St. Francis and St. Clare presenting St. Colette to the Virgin, St. Clare on her deathbed visited by the Pope, and St. Clare on her deathbed with nuns and saints.
Reference: Vitae Sanctae Coletae , ed. Charles Van Constanje. Leiden, 1982.
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