Scepens, Elizabeth (fl. 1476)

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Scepens, Elizabeth (fl. 1476)

Artist and bookmaker of Belgium. Name variations: Elisabeth Betkin. Flourished around 1476 in Bruges.

Elizabeth Scepens ran a successful art studio in Bruges, Flanders. She studied book production and illustration under the illuminator William Vrelandt of Bruges, and upon his death took over the large, prolific studio in partnership with Vrelandt's widow. The studio contributed to the production of manuscripts in several ways: with calligraphy, capital decoration, and painted miniatures. Scepens' talent earned her a membership in the Bruges guild of scribes and artists in 1476; the membership was renewed every year until her retirement in 1489.

sources:

Anderson, Bonnie S., and Judith P. Zinsser. A History of Their Own, vol. I. NY: Harper & Row, 1988.

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. London: Thames & Hudson, 1990.

Laura York , Riverside, California

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