A Chronicle of the Crusades

Completed circa 1474, Sébastien Mamerot’s lavishly illustrated manuscript is the only contemporary document to describe several centuries of French crusades, when successive kings tried to seize the Holy Land. Jean Colombe, the medieval illuminator best known for his work on the Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, is the principal artist of its 66 exquisite miniatures. Les Passages d’Outremer (The Expeditions to Overseas) comprises 277 parchment folios, illustrated by Colombe and the finest caligraphers of the medieval era, and now resides in the French national library. This new hardcover edition in our popular Klotz format comprises a complete translation of the manuscript text, illustrated with 66 colourful miniatures by Jean Colombe, accurate down to the color of the medieval gold heightening, and their explanations. The battles, burials, coronations and processions depicted in the illustrations come to life before our eyes and create a forceful image, as well as a compelling read, of this centuries-long campaign of religious fervour and epic journey.