Middle English Literature

Revolt: Jean Froissart, Chroniques
London, British Library, MS Royal 18 E.1, fol. 175r
Language: French
Manuscript date: 1460–80
Jean Froissart’s narrative of the revolt is valuable for several details it pro-
vides of the revolt, including, for instance, a sermon by John Ball, the priest
from Kent and rebel leader. Manuscript Royal 18 E.1 was made in Flanders
for William Hastings, Baron Hastings. It contains 48 richly colorful illumi-
nations of events in France and England in the years 1377–85, including
three images of the revolt. The large illumination on folio 175r represents
two moments from the meeting of Richard II, William Walworth (mayor of
London), and Wat Tyler with the rebels at Smithfield on June 15, 1381,
which are recounted in the Anonimalle Chronicle.
See “The Revolt” (p. 175) and “Tournaments” (p. 224) for information
and bibliographies on the revolt and Froissart.

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152
Images
Richard II presented to the Virgin and Christ
London, National Gallery (Wilton Diptych)
Date: ca. 1395
570 × 292 mm (
22
1
4
×
11
3
8
in.)
Although few medieval English paintings survived Oliver Cromwell’s ico-
noclasm, paintings on wooden backgrounds once adorned church retables,
altars, and furniture as well as religious and secular tombs, walls, ceilings,
and screens. By the fourteenth century, the “International Gothic style”
from French and Italian sources dominated English painting, illumination,
textile work, and architecture. Rich decorative patterns, an interest in nature,
and detailed colored figures and faces appear in works that were often made
in monasteries but came more and more to be made by artisans residing
in London.
The Wilton Diptych is an outstanding example of such a style, with rich
embellishment and an interest in nature. It is thought to be a portable
altarpiece made for Richard II some time after 1395, and its vibrant colors
in egg tempera and rich gilding have survived well (on Richard II, see
“Usurpation,” p. 69). On the exterior wings of the hinged oak diptych are
Richard II’s arms and a large recumbent white hart (his personal emblem).
The interior shown here depicts two royal English saints, Edmund and
Edward the Confessor, and Richard’s patron saint John the Baptist, who
present the king to the Virgin and Christ Child. Despite the king’s posture,
the gestures of these figures make him central within the composition. The
banner signals Christ’s resurrection, and the orb at the top encloses a tiny
island naval kingdom.
Primary documents and further reading
Gordon, D. (1993) Making and Meaning: The Wilton Diptych. London: National
Gallery.
Gordon, D., L. Monnas, and C. Elam (eds.) (1997) The Regal Image of Richard II
and the Wilton Diptych. Coventry: Harvey Miller.
Rickert, M. (1954) Painting in Britain: The Middle Ages. London: Penguin Books.
Saul, N. (1997) Richard II. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

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Images
153

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154
Images