Laughing at or with the text? The Wavrin Master as illuminator of Burgundian prose romances

This study of text/image relations in manuscripts of Burgundian prose romances illuminated by the Wavrin Master analyses how the verbal ­comedy of the narrative is represented visually. Whether this is through direct pictorial equivalents to amusing episodes in the text or “translation” of these episodes into the visual language of clothing, gesture and symbolism, the illuminator can be shown to be faithful to the narrative in deploying ­comedy for the didactic instruction of the reader/viewer.