This French translation of the story of Alexander, destined to
belong to Charles the Bold, was commissioned by Vasco da Lucena,
"the Portugese", a retainer of the Infanta Isabella, who was
married to Philip the Good. This revival of the work by Quintus
Curtius Rufus, which is augmented by texts from Plutarch, Valerius
Maximus, Aulus Gellius and Justin, allows the author to liberate
the Macedonian conqueror from legends perpetuated by the medieval
tradition. The Miroir des princes portrays a model of a hero shaped
within the framework of the humanistic movement initiated by the
dukes of Burgundy in the late middle ages. CB 53 was copied in
Burgundy and may be fairly accurately dated only a few years after
the translation was made; it was decorated with miniatures in the
artistic circle of the Master of Marguerite of York (ca.
1470-1475).
