Artwork
Leaf from a Book of Hours: The Visitation
Leaf from a Book of Hours: The Visitation is an unspecified painting by Master of Boucicaut. It dates from 1415 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject depicted is the Visitation, the biblical episode in which the Virgin Mary, pregnant with Jesus, visits her kinswoman Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. The Master of Boucicaut renders Elizabeth kneeling before Mary, who places a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder while both women exchange a tender embrace; the moment conveys both reverence and human warmth.
In the background, a walled city and a Gothic church appear, grounding the scene in a recognizably fifteenth-century French setting and underscoring the sacred narrative's earthly immediacy. The delicate modeling of faces and drapery, along with the restrained palette, directs attention to the two figures, emphasizing the spiritual significance of the encounter as a sign of divine favor and the fulfillment of prophecy.
History & Provenance
Its creation reflects the artistic practice of the Boucicaut Master, who headed a workshop active in the early 15th-century Parisian book-illustration market.
The Leaf from a Book of Hours: The Visitation was painted by the Master of Boucicaut in Paris around 1415, intended as a devotional miniature for a private Book of Hours. The work remained in its original devotional context until the mid-20th century, when it entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art (acquired in 1953). Its creation reflects the artistic practice of the Boucicaut Master, who headed a workshop active in the early 15th-century Parisian book-illustration market. The leaf's iconography depicts the Visitation, a common subject in religious manuscripts of the period.
Overview
This painting, titled Leaf from a Book of Hours: The Visitation, was created by the Master of Boucicaut in 1415. It depicts a significant biblical encounter and originally served as an illuminated page within a devotional manuscript. The work is now part of the collection at The Cleveland Museum of Art, offering insight into early 15th-century manuscript illumination.
Technique & Style
Rendered with meticulous detail, this miniature painting showcases the refined aesthetic characteristic of its period. The artist employs a harmonious palette and careful composition to create a sense of depth within the lush outdoor setting, featuring trees, rocks, and a grassy expanse. The intricate rendering of the figures' garments and the surrounding flora highlights the sophisticated craftsmanship expected for a luxury devotional book.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
The Master of Boucicaut, or Boucicaut Master, was an anonymous Franco-Flemish manuscript illuminator active in Paris in the early fifteenth century, roughly 1405 to 1420.
Coronation of the Virgin with the Trinity and Saints
Saint Mark
Annunciation
Saint Matthew
Horae Beatae Mariae Virginis
Saint John
Christ Giving the Keys to Saint Peter
Saint Luke
Manuscript Leaf from the Beauvais Missal
Saints Peter and Paul
The Nativity with Six Dominican Monks- Manuscript Leaf from a Book of Hours (incip. Passionis)