Marriage Certificate, in Latin, illuminated document on vellum [eastern France (Lyon), dated 1476]

a document, 250mm. by 385mm., 8 lines written in a gothic bookhand, with lines alternating in gold and blue, filling only part of the ruled space for 10 lines, written space 92mm. by 225mm., with a large decorated initial ‘I’ in blue touched with red at head and foot, decorated with white tracery, on a burnished gold ground, filling the whole height of the written space, with a full border of coloured acanthus, flowers and gold ivy leaves, including crosses in the centre of each border, folded horizontally and three times vertically, vellum stained, script and illumination rubbed and a few small holes, in good and presentable condition

This exquisite gem of a document records the marriage of Mermet Frere of Brussieu and Jannette Paqualon of Courzieu on 30 June 1476: "In nomine sancte et individue trinitatis patris et filii et spiritus sancti, amen. Ego Mermetus Frere parrochie Bruciaci accipio te uxorem meam nomine Johannetam filiam honesti viri Iohannis Paqualon parrochie Corsiaci et commendo tibi elemosinas meas. Sicut deus dixit, sanctus Paulus scripsit et lex romana confirmat: quod deus coniunxit homo non separet. Datum apud Corsiacum die ultima mensis Junii, anno domini millesimo quatercentesimo septuagesimo sexto." The two families lived west of Lyon – Brussieu and Courzieu are less than four miles apart. The monumental format and the opulent decoration of the document suggest that it was produced at some significant expense for private commemoration, perhaps as a wedding gift for the couple themselves. They are also attested in the Lyonnais parish records (Archives départementales du Rhône, fonds Poidebard, AD 69), and they had two children, Barthélémye and Simon. Mermet Frere died in 1533.

The Frere family came originally from Germany but settled in Brussieu. In the second half of the seventeenth century, they acquired the Castle of Charfetain which remained in the family’s possession until 1793 (see A. Hernoud, ‘La famille Frère et le château de Charfetain’, Araire, no.105, 1996, pp.31-46). The present manuscript may well have once been part of their archive.