Philip the Good Receives a Book
The dukes of Burgundy surrounded themselves with splendor and cultivated all the arts. This dedication miniature in a book translated by Jean Miélot, a writer at the Burgundian court, shows Duke Philip the Good (d. 1467) in characteristic pose. The artist, probably Jan Tavernier, shows him—splendidly clothed, surrounded by his courtiers, and with a dog at his feet—graciously accepting the book from the hands of the writer. Note the gold-embroidered tapestry hanging on the wall. (Miniature from the Chronicles of Haynaut, Flanders, 15th century / Musée Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique (Royal Museums of Fines Arts of Belgium), Brussels, Belgium / De Agostini Picture Library / Bridgeman Images.)