Getty Museum
Philosophy Presenting the Seven Liberal Arts to Boethius
Creator
Coëtivy Master (Henri de Vulcop?)French Illuminator · 1450–1485
All works by this person →Among the artists working in Paris from about 1450 to 1485, the Coëtivy Master was one of the most important. Whereas his contemporaries such as Maître François and the Chief Associate of the Bedford Master worked exclusively as manuscript illuminators, the Coëtivy Master painted in a variety of formats. Working for members of the royal family and court, he painted on wooden panels, designed stain
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1460–1470
- Medium
- Tempera colors, gold leaf, and gold paint
- Culture
- French
- Department
- Manuscripts
- Institution
- Getty Museum
- Object ID
- 05be3404-4761-4ba7-bf6d-7949c88a4db6
From the Getty Museum record
On the far left, Boethius speaks to Philosophy, who was his "sovereign comfort," as the inscription between them reads. Philosophy presents him with personifications of the seven liberal arts, the basic studies taught in medieval universities, emphasizing that they assist the study of philosophy. From left to right, an inscription and an attribute identify each of the liberal arts: Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Music, Geometry, Arithmetic, and Astronomy. Grammar, for example, holds an open book; Music holds a sheet of music. All seven are represented as young women dressed at the height of fashion, headed by Philosophy who herself wears an elaborate headdress known as an hennin.
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