Pen and Parchment: Drawing in the Middle Ages

Jean Pucelle (active ca. 1320–1324)
Saint Louis Feeding the Sick from The Book of Hours of Jeanne d’Evreux
Paris, France; 1324–28
3 1/2 x 2 5/8 in. (8.9 x 6.2 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Cloisters Collection, 1954 (54.1.2)

This exquisite and lavishly illustrated book contains not even a hint of gold, and color appears in it only in a limited way. Its figures, rather, are predominately rendered in grisaille and set within monochrome, penwork frames, with color selectively employed to provide accents or as a backdrop against which figures are placed. Its drawing-like effects made much of an artist’s skills, highlighting his ability to create mesmerizing, illusionistic effects.