Alexander Romance - The Travels of Marco Polo

Alexander Romance - The Travels of Marco Polo – Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani – Bodley 264 – Bodleian Library (Oxford, United Kingdom)

Tournai (Belgium); London (United Kingdom) β€” 1338–1410

Begun in Flanders, completed in London, and now a treasure of the Bodleian Library: luminous miniatures and fascinating marginal illuminations in a large-format compendium of the most popular tales of the Middle Ages

  1. Three for one: the Roman d’Alexandre, Alexander and Dindimus, and the travelogue Il Milione

  2. The compendium is decorated with gorgeous miniatures by the Flemish artist Jehan de Grise inter alia

  3. The masterpiece was begun in Tournai between 1338 and 1344 before being finished in England ca. 1400

Alexander Romance - The Travels of Marco Polo

Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €€€€
(7,000€ - 10,000€)
  1. Description
  2. Detail Picture
  3. Single Page
  4. Facsimile Editions (1)
Description
Alexander Romance - The Travels of Marco Polo

The compendium Alexander Romance - The Travels of Marco Polo from the Bodleian Library in Oxford is one of the most significant and beautiful manuscripts of the Late Middle Ages. It contains a unique compilation of three famous literary works: the best-preserved copy of the Roman d'Alexandre in French verse, the only surviving copy of the Middle English poem Alexander and Dindimus and a French version of the famous travelogue Il Milione by Marco Polo (1254-1324). The gorgeous miniature program of the Alexander Romance, opulently decorated with golden details, was realized between 1338 and 1344 in Tournai with the collaboration of the Flemish master Jehan de Grise (fl. 1325-1345). The manuscript then went to England, where the other two sections were added and their illumination completed between 1400 and 1410. In all 190 miniatures, but also in the humorous drΓ΄leries and borders, an artful, lively and diverse image of the Middle Ages unfolds!

Alexander Romance. The Travels of Marco Polo.

Codex Bodley 264 of the Bodleian Library in Oxford is actually a compendium consisting of pieces originating from France and England in the years 1338 to 1410. The 548 pages altogether contain a unique anthology of three famous literary works of the Middle Ages: the best-preserved copy of the Roman d’Alexandre in French verse, the short poem Alexander and Dindimus in English, which is only preserved in this codex and tells of a fictitious epistolary exchange between Alexander the Great and the "Bragman king" Dindimus, as well as the French edition of the travelogue Il Milione by Marco Polo with the title Livres de Graunt Caam. Hidden behind this compendium is one of the most famous and significant manuscripts of the entire Middle Ages!

The Adventures of Alexander the Great

The manuscript is not only of great literary significance, it is also and especially impressive to modern beholders because of its outstanding miniature program. The Alexander Romance is illustrated with wonderful paintings by the Flemish miniaturist Jehan de Grise and his workshop. The legends wrapping themselves around Alexander the Great were illustrated here. It opens up an exciting world with numerous exotic animals, which Alexander presumably encountered during his travels and campaigns. In contrast, numerous scenes of everyday life typical for that time are depicted in the grandiose marginal miniatures. This part presumably originated in Tournai between 1338 and 1344 and was expanded into two sections in England ca. 1400.

A Unique Compendium

The following text presents Alexander and Dindimus in Middle-English verse and is similarly furnished with a few miniatures. Having said this, these distinguish themselves through their less-subtle execution from the first Flemish paintings. The exciting travelogue by Marco Polo in French prose is also illustrated with the miniatures of Jehan de Grise. Aside from the full-page miniatures, numerous smaller miniatures can be found in the text, numbering 175 altogether. Additionally, all sides of the manuscript are adorned with splendid ornamentation, gold leaf, and a grandiose color palette. The paintings present themselves with outstanding quality and impressive ingenuity and, along with the two-column text, convey a vivid portrayal of the Middle Ages!

Codicology

Alternative Titles
Alexanderroman - Die Reisen Marco Polos
Roman d’Alexandre
Alexander and Dindimus
Livres du graunt Caam
l romanzo di Alessandro Magno. I viaggi di Marco Polo
Size / Format
548 pages / 41.5 Γ— 29.0 cm
Origin
Belgium
Date
1338–1410
Style
Script
Gothic Textura
Illustrations
11 full-page, 4 half-page and 175 smaller miniatures; numerous floral borders, often with drΓ΄leries; many ornamental and inhabited initials
Content
Alexander Romance; Alexander and Dindimus; Li livres du Graunt Caam by Marco Polo
Artist / School
Previous Owners
Richard Woodville, Earl of Rivers; Anthony Woodville, Earl of Rivers; Thomas Smythe; Jasper Fyloll; Giles Stangways; Thomas Bodley

Available facsimile editions:
Alexander Romance - The Travels of Marco Polo – Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani – Bodley 264 – Bodleian Library (Oxford, United Kingdom)
Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani – Rome, 2014
Limited Edition: 499 copies
Detail Picture

Alexander Romance - The Travels of Marco Polo

Equine Hoof Care in the Bas-de-page

This small bas-de-page miniature shows a scene from medieval everyday life: a saddled brown horse is fixed in a safety rack. Its reins are held by a bearded figure who is speaking to the animal from the front while its rear left hoof is being shoed. The relevant leg is tied so that the farrier can easily attach the horseshoe with his hammer. The three figures stand on the gilded border of the page, which is decorated with golden grape leaf vines.

Alexander Romance - The Travels of Marco Polo – Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani – Bodley 264 – Bodleian Library (Oxford, United Kingdom)
Single Page

Alexander Romance - The Travels of Marco Polo

Alexander's Last Days

After the numerous conquests and adventures Alexander the Great experiences in the first three sections of the Roman d'Alexandre, he returns to Babylon where, according to this version, he finally meets his death. Before he enters the city, he is presented with a monstrous creature in the upper register on the left, a hybrid being with human and animal parts, by three courtiers – an omen of his imminent demise. Nevertheless, he then enters the city through the magnificent gate on the right, which has been transferred to a Gothic architecture. A charming detail can be seen on the roof: a stork's nest.

In the lower register of the full-page miniature, Alexander's last banquet is taking place at a long table. Surrounded by figures dressed in courtly attire, he stands gesticulating in the center while golden wine cups are handed to him, the contents of which will lead to his fatal poisoning. Meanwhile, the drΓ΄leries at the bottom of the page provide the feast with jaunty music from various instruments. This gold-gleaming page serves to mark the beginning of the fourth section of the work, the main events of which are Alexander's death and burial.

Alexander Romance - The Travels of Marco Polo – Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani – Bodley 264 – Bodleian Library (Oxford, United Kingdom)
Facsimile Editions

#1 Il romanzo di Alessandro Magno. I viaggi di Marco Polo

Publisher: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani – Rome, 2014
Limited Edition: 499 copies
Binding: Leather
Commentary: 1 volume (300 pages) by Mark Cruse, Marcello Ciccuto and Monica Centanni
Language: Italian
1 volume: Exact reproduction of the original document (extent, color and size) Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). All folios are cut according to the original. The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €€€€
(7,000€ - 10,000€)
You might also be interested in:
Columbus's Marco Polo – Testimonio CompaΓ±Γ­a Editorial – Biblioteca Capitular y Colombina (Seville, Spain)
Columbus's Marco Polo
Antwerp (Belgium) – 1485

The crucial source of information about China for centuries: Christopher Columbus' personal copy of Marco Polo's famous travelogue

Experience More
History of Alexander the Great – Patrimonio Ediciones – Ms. 11.040 – BibliothΓ¨que Royale de Belgique (Brussels, Belgium)
History of Alexander the Great
Belgium / Netherlands – 13th century

Created for King Philip IV of France: 100 grandiose miniatures on the history of Alexander the Great and a highlight of 13th century French book illumination

Experience More
Marco Polo - The Book of Wonders – Faksimile Verlag – Ms. FranΓ§ais 2810 – BibliothΓ¨que nationale de France (Paris, France)
Marco Polo - The Book of Wonders
Paris (France) – 1410–1412

Monopods, spice traders, and exotic kingdoms: the Adventures of Marco Polo imaginatively illuminated by the Boucicaut Master and the famous Parisian Bedford workshop

Experience More
Paris Alexander Romance – Quaternio Verlag Luzern – MS Royal 20 B XX – British Library (London, United Kingdom)
Paris Alexander Romance
Paris (France) – Around 1420

Formerly in the possession of Henry VIII: possibly the most magnificently illuminated version of the medieval biography of Alexander the Great, adorned with 86 elaborate miniatures of rich colors and glowing gold

Experience More
Berlin Alexander Romance – Coron Verlag – 78 C 1 – Kupferstichkabinett Staatliche Museen (Berlin, Germany)
Berlin Alexander Romance
Northern France – Late 13th century

Glorified as an ideal ruler and admired as a military commander: The legendary story of Alexander the Great, told in over 100 gold-embellished French Gothic miniatures

Experience More
De le Meravegliose Cose del Mondo – Vicent Garcia Editores – RB I-174 – Biblioteca del Palacio Real (Madrid, Spain)
De le Meravegliose Cose del Mondo
Venice (Italy) – June 13, 1496

One of the most famous travelogues in European history: Marco Polo's legendary travels through Asia and to the court of Kublai Khan in a priceless Venetian incunabulum

Experience More
Blog articles worth reading
Filter selection
Publisher