« Ung bon ouvrier nommé Marquet Caussin » : peinture et enluminure en Hainaut avant Simon Marmion

Jusqu’à présent, on savait très peu de choses sur la peinture de livres en Hainaut avant l’arrivée à Valenciennes de Simon Marmion, vers 1458. Ce peintre de génie, qui révolutionna l’art de l’enluminure dans les anciens Pays-Bas méridionaux, semblait s’être installé dans une région qui, pensait-on, n’avait pas de tradition dans le domaine de la peinture de livre. Fondée sur un solide dossier documentaire, la présente monographie bat en brèche cette idée reçue en sortant de l’ombre l’œuvre de Marc Caussin, un miniaturiste hainuyer totalement inconnu jusqu’ici, qui fut actif à Valenciennes dès les années 1430. Au départ d’un missel réalisé pour la cathédrale de Cambrai et authentifié par un extrait de compte extraordinairement détaillé, un groupe de quatorze manuscrits a pu lui être attribué. À côté de livres de dévotion au contenu standardisé, cet ensemble comporte aussi des manuscrits plus personnels, reflétant les besoins spécifiques de leurs commanditaires, parmi lesquels un remarquable livre d’heures sans doute réalisé pour une chanoinesse de Sainte-Aldegonde de Maubeuge, membre du mystérieux ordre de chevalerie de Saint-Antoine-en-Barbefosse, ainsi qu’une Chronique enluminée à la demande de Philippe de Croÿ, comte de Chimay. Caussin travaille pour d’autres prestigieux bibliophiles, dont le plus célèbre est sans nul doute le duc de Bourgogne en personne, Philippe le Bon. L’activité de l’enlumineur a pu être contextualisée grâce à un dossier documentaire remarquable pour l’époque : une cinquantaine de documents qui donnent des informations uniques sur les antécédents familiaux de Caussin et sur son insertion dans le tissu corporatif hainuyer. L’homme s’avère particulièrement polyvalent, puisqu’il est actif non seulement dans le domaine du livre, comme enlumineur, libraire et peut-être scribe, mais qu’il est qualifié aussi de peintre. Il semble toutefois tirer le plus gros de ses ressources financières d’opérations immobilières. En dehors du milieu valenciennois, il est clair que Caussin entretenait des relations professionnelles avec ses confrères d’autres villes des anciens Pays-Bas. Des contacts sont avérés avec Bruges, Cambrai, Mons, Tournai et peut-être Bruxelles. Exploités dans toute la richesse de leur spécificité, replacés dans leur contexte d’utilisation, les manuscrits regroupés autour de Marc Caussin permettent pour la première fois de reconstruire un milieu artistique, social, religieux et intellectuel largement méconnu. L’histoire de l’art apporte ainsi sa pierre à l’histoire culturelle au sens large

Ground-based tropospheric ozone measurements: regional tropospheric ozone column trends from the TOAR-II/HEGIFTOM homogenized datasets

Quantifying long-term free-tropospheric ozone trends is essential for understanding the impact of human activities and climate change on atmospheric chemistry. However, this is complicated by two key challenges: the differences among existing satellite-derived tropospheric ozone products, which are not yet fully understood or reconciled, and the limited temporal and spatial coverage of ground-based reference measurements. Here, we explore if a more consistent understanding of the geographical distribution of tropospheric ozone column (TrOC) trends can be obtained by focusing on regional trends from ground-based measurements. Regions were determined with a correlation analysis between modeled TrOCs at the site locations. For those regions, TrOC trends were estimated with quantile regression for the Trajectory-mapped Ozonesonde dataset for the Stratosphere and Troposphere (TOST) and with a linear mixed-effects modeling (LMM) approach to calculate synthesized trends from homogenized HEGIFTOM (Harmonization and Evaluation of Ground-based Instruments for Free-Tropospheric Ozone Measurements) individual site trends. For different periods (1990–2021/22, 1995–2021/22, 2000–2021/22), both approaches give increasing (partial) tropospheric ozone column amounts over almost all Asian regions (median confidence) and negative trends over Arctic regions (very high confidence). Trends over Europe and North America are mostly weakly positive (LMM) or negative (TOST). For both approaches, the 2000–2021/22 trends decreased in magnitude compared to 1995–2021/22 for most regions; and for all time periods and regions, the pre-COVID trends are larger than the post-COVID trends. Our results enable the validation of global satellite TrOC trends and assessment of the performance of atmospheric chemistry models to represent the distribution and variation of TrOC

Icarus 3.0: Dynamic heliosphere modelling

Context. Space weather predictions are necessary to avoid damage caused by intense geomagnetic storms. Such strong storms are usually caused by a co-rotating interaction region (CIR) passing at Earth or by the arrival of strong coronal mass ejections (CMEs). To mitigate the damage, the effect of propagating CMEs in the solar wind must be estimated accurately at Earth and other locations. Modelling solar wind accurately is crucial for space weather predictions, as it is the medium for CME propagation. Aims. The Icarus heliospheric modelling tool is upgraded to handle dynamic inner heliospheric driving instead of using steady boundary conditions. The ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) solver and the automated grid-adaptivity are adjusted to the latest MPI-AMRVAC version. This new combination allows us to model the solar heliosphere more accurately. Methods. The inner boundary conditions, prescribed at 0.1 AU for the heliospheric model, are updated time-dependently throughout the simulation. The coronal model (r < 0.1 AU) is computed repeatedly for selected magnetograms, and the r = 0.1 AU radial boundary prescription is provided to the heliospheric modelling tool. The particle sampling within MPI-AMRVAC is extended to handle stretched spherical grid information. It is well suited for tracing solar wind plasma conditions at the locations of planets and satellites in the heliosphere. Results. The solar wind obtained in the simulation is dynamic and shows significant variations throughout the evolution. When comparing the results with the observations, the dynamic solar wind results are more accurate than previous results obtained with purely steady boundary driving. The CMEs propagated through the dynamic solar wind background produce more similar signatures in the time-series data than in the steady solar wind. Conclusions. Dynamic boundary driving in Icarus results in a more self-consistent solar wind evolution in the inner heliosphere. The upgraded particle sampling allows for a very versatile sampling of the solution at the spatio-temporally varying locations of satellites. The obtained space weather modelling tool for dynamic solar wind and CME simulations is better suited for space weather forecasting than a steady solar wind model

Fluorescent nanodiamonds

Fluorescent nanodiamonds are a promising and attractive platform for quantum technology due to the combination of outstanding properties of diamond color centers and the nanoscale size of crystals. It allows their integration with different types of photonic structures for quantum information and communication purposes as well as usage for sensing in various environments, including harsh conditions and biological systems. This chapter will discuss the fabrication methods of fluorescent nanodiamonds, the optical properties and specific features related to their nanosize and surface, and some key applications

Troost en devotie : relieken ontrafeld

Een reliek of relikwie, een overblijfsel van een heilige, of een voorwerp dat met een heilige in aanraking is geweest, wordt in sommige religies vereerd vanwege de vermeende wonderdadige kracht. Het kan gaan om lichaamsdelen, kledingstukken, of andere voorwerpen die de heilige bezat of gebruikte. Jeroen Reyniers doet al ruim tien jaar onderzoek naar relieken in België en neemt ons mee in deze vaak onbekende wereld van rouwen, eren en vereren

Challenges in experimental investigations of Paracoccus denitrificans activities in salt-bearing porous media

Salt weathering, driven by the crystallization of saline solutions within sedimentary rocks, leads to significant material degradation. Key factors influencing this process include salt type, concentration, moisture levels, temperature fluctuations, and pore structure. Environmental conditions and microbial activity further impact weathering, either mitigating or exacerbating its effects. Microorganisms contribute to biological weathering but may also enhance rock properties through biofilm formation or biocementation. Laboratory techniques such as rock testing and micromodel experiments face challenges in replicating complex interactions between microorganisms and salt-bearing porous materials. In this study, we investigated the activity of Paracoccus denitrificans in saline solutions through experiments conducted on Petri dishes, glass slides and micromodels. Key challenges included replicating controlled conditions, managing contamination, and maintaining strict environmental controls. The results highlighted significant challenges in interpreting bacterial activity within salt-bearing systems, particularly due to contamination risks and difficulties in maintaining precise experimental conditions. Additionally, experimental setups, such as fluid actuation using laser light beams, were found to introduce further complexities. This research provided recommendations and emphasized the critical need for refined methodologies to enhance accuracy and reliability in future studies

Vingt-cinq ans de recherches en Belgique sur les Primitifs flamands : bilan et perspectives = Vijfentwintig jaar onderzoek naar de Vlaamse Primitieven in België : stand van zaken en perspectieven

Séminaire d’histoire de l’art de l’IRPA n° 4 = Kunsthistorisch seminarie van het KIK nr 4, Brussels, 10/12/2003

De binnenhuisdecoratie van 18de en 19de-eeuwse burgerhuizen = Les décors d’intérieurs civils aux XVIIIe et XIXe siècles

Kunsthistorisch seminarie van het KIK nr 3 = Séminaire d’histoire de l’art de l’IRPA n° 3 Koninklijk Instituut voor het Kunstpatrimonium, Brussels, 19/9/2002