were influenced by the late 12th-century abbey of Saint-Remi, Reims. At the same time,
the introduction of bar tracery in the windows of the cathedral was arguably the most
important innovation in 13th-century European architecture, for it formed the basis for
new effects of complex linearity, textural consistency and contrast, and countless
compositional experiments.
Michael T.Davis
[See also: GAUCHER DE REIMS; GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE; JEAN LE LOUP;
REIMS]
Branner, Robert. “Jean d’Orbais and the Cathedral of Reims.” Art Bulletin 43(1961):131–33.
Demaison, Louis. “Les architectes de la cathédrale de Reims.” Bulletin archéologique du Comité
des Travaux Historiques et Scientifiques (1894):1–40.
Hamann-MacLean, Richard. “Zur Baugeschichte der Kathedrale von Reims.” In Gedenkschrift
Ernst Gall. Munich: Deutscher Kunstverlag, 1965, pp. 195–234.
Salet, Francis. “Le premier colloque international de la Société Française d’Archéologie (Reims):
chronologie de la cathédrale.” Bulletin monumental 125(1967):347–94.
JEAN LE BEL
(d. ca. 1370). The Vrayes chroniques of Jean le Bel is a valuable source for the Hundred
Years’ War and the Flemish wars of the 14th century. Born in Liège of a patrician family,
Jean became a canon of Saint-Lambert. As his contemporaries noted, his clerical career
did not prevent him from living like a great noble; Jacques de Hemricourt has left us a
portrait of a man with a large retinue, who held court like the bishop himself, wore costly
clothing, and thoroughly enjoyed himself doing so.
Jean claims in his writing to have undertaken his chronicle to correct the “false”
history of a minstrel, but Jean d’Outremeuse tells us that he wrote at the request of Jean
de Beaumont. He wrote in French “prose,” primarily from his own experience, which
included personal service during Edward III’s Scottish campaign of 1327, and probably
also from reports by Jean de Beaumont and other members of his circle. He seems to
have written all the material up to 1357 sometime during that year and then made
additions afterward. He was interested primarily in wars and deeds of chivalry, rather
than in politics, like Froissart, who both used Jean’s chronicle as a source and continued
it, but he is a more careful historian than Froissart, deeply concerned to tell the truth as he
saw it. Apart from Froissart, only his compatriot Jean d’Outre meuse and Cornelius
Zantvliet seem to have known his work.
Leah Shopkow
[See also: FROISSART, JEAN; HISTORIOGRAPHY; OUTREMEUSE, JEAN D’]
Jean Le Bel. Chronique, ed. Jules Viard and Eugène Déprez. 2 vols. Paris: Renouard, 1904–05.
Tyson, Diana B. “Jean le Bel: Portrait of a Chronicler.” Journal of Medieval History
12(1986):315–32.
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