Editing René of Anjou (section)

==Arts==
[[File:Nicolas Froment 004.jpg|thumb|upright|Side panels of the [[Burning Bush Triptych|''Burning Bush'' triptych]], showing René and his second wife, Jeanne de Laval.]]
[[File:Französischer_Meister_um_1500_001.jpg|thumb|left|Miniature by or after [[Barthélemy d'Eyck]] from ''Le Livre du cœur d'Amour épris'' depicting Love giving Desire to the heart of the ailing king]]
The King of Sicily's fame as an amateur painter{{Refn|group=lower-alpha|A letter from the Neapolitan [[Renaissance humanism|humanist]] [[Pietro Summonte]] to Marcantonio Michiel, of 20 March 1524, reporting on the state of art in Naples, and works there by Netherlandish painters, states that "King René was also a skilled painter and was very keen on the study of the discipline, but according to the [[Early Netherlandish painting|style of Flanders]]". The letter was published by Niccolini{{sfn|Niccolini|1925|pp=161–163}} in 1925 and translated by Richardson & al.{{sfn|Richardson|Woods|Franklin|2007|pp=193–196}} in 2007.}} formerly led to the optimistic attribution to him of many paintings in Anjou and Provence, in many cases simply because they bore his arms. These works are generally in the [[Early Netherlandish painting|Early Netherlandish]] style, and were probably executed under his patronage and direction, so that he may be said to have formed a school of the fine arts in sculpture, painting, goldsmith's work and tapestry.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=98}} He employed [[Barthélemy d'Eyck]] as both painter and ''[[varlet de chambre]]'' for most of his career.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

Two of the most famous works formerly attributed to René are the [[triptych]] of the ''Burning Bush'' of [[Nicolas Froment]] of [[Avignon]] in [[Aix Cathedral]], showing portraits of René and his second wife, [[Jeanne de Laval]], and two illuminated [[Book of Hours]] in the [[Bibliothèque nationale de France]] and the [[British Library]]. Among the men of letters attached to his court was [[Antoine de la Sale]], whom he made tutor to his son John. He encouraged the performance of [[mystery play]]s; on the performance of a mystery of the [[Passion (Christianity)|Passion]] at [[Saumur]] in 1462 he remitted four years of taxes to the town, and the representations of the Passion at [[Angers]] were carried out under his auspices.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=98}}

[[File:René d'Anjou Livre des tournois France Provence XVe siècle Barthélemy d'Eyck2.jpg|thumb|Watercolour, probably by [[Barthélemy d'Eyck]], from King René's Tournament Book.]]
He exchanged verses with his kinsman, the poet [[Charles of Orléans]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=98}} René was also the author of two allegorical works: a devotional dialogue, ''Le Mortifiement de vaine plaisance'' (''The Mortification of Vain Pleasure,'' 1455), and a love quest, ''Le Livre du Cuer d'amours espris'' (''The Book of the Love-Smitten Heart,'' 1457).  The latter fuses the conventions of Arthurian romance with an allegory of love based on the ''Romance of the Rose. '' Both works were exquisitely illustrated by his court painter, Barthélémy d'Eyck.  ''Le Mortifiement'' survives in eight illuminated manuscripts. Although Barthélémy's original is lost, the extant manuscripts include copies of his miniatures by Jean le Tavernier, Jean Colombe, and others. René is sometimes credited with the pastoral poem "Regnault and Jeanneton",{{refn|group=lower-alpha|As, for instance, by the 11th edition of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica''.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|pp=97–98}}}} but this was more likely a gift to the king honoring his marriage to Jeanne de Laval.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

[[King René's Tournament Book]] (''{{lang|fr|Le Livre des tournois}}'' or ''{{lang|fr|Traicte de la Forme de Devis d'un Tournoi}}''; {{circa|lk=no|1460}}) describes rules of a [[Tournament (medieval)|tournament]]. The most famous and earliest of the many manuscript copies<ref>BN MS Fr 2695.</ref> is kept in the [[Bibliothèque Nationale|French National Library]]. This is—unusually for a deluxe manuscript—on paper and painted in [[watercolor]].  It may represent [[drawing]]s by [[Barthélemy d'Eyck]], intended as preparatory only, which were later illuminated by him or another artist.  There are twenty-six full and double page miniatures. The description given in the book is different from that of the [[pas d'armes]] held at [[Razilly]] and [[Saumur]]; conspicuously absent are the [[allegory|allegorical]] and chivalresque ornamentations that were in vogue at the time. René instead emphasizes he is reporting on ancient tournament customs of France, Germany and the Low Countries, combining them in a new suggestion on how to hold a tournament. The tournament described is a [[melee]] fought by two sides. Individual [[jousting|joust]]s are only briefly mentioned.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

As a patron, René commissioned translations and retranslations of classical works into French prose. These include [[Strabo]], which [[Guarino da Verona]] completed in 1458;{{sfn|Diller|Kristeller|1971}} and [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' by an unknown translator, completed in 1467.{{sfn|C. De Boer|1954}}

Rene also kept a theater troupe at his court, led by a jester and playwright [[Triboulet (playwright)|Triboulet]]. The duke rewarded Triboulet generously for his talents.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Roy |first=Bruno |date=January 1980 |title=Triboulet, Josseaume et Pathelin à la Cour de René d'Anjou |url=https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/10.1484/J.LMFR.3.71 |journal=Le Moyen Français |language=fr |volume=7 |pages=7–56 |doi=10.1484/J.LMFR.3.71 |issn=0226-0174}}</ref>