Book of Hours of Jeanne d'Évreux

The Book of Hours of Jeanne d’�vreux, based on the Dominican liturgy, contains prayers and devotional texts for the private use and edification of the laity. Its 209 folios with Latin text contain 25 full-page miniatures and about 700 decorative marginal figures. It was a gift from King Charles IV of France (Charles the Fair, reigned 1322-1328) to his consort Jeanne d’�vreux (c. 1310-1371) on the occasion of their wedding or coronation.

This tiny prayer book was copied by a gifted anonymous scribe, who fixed the text on extremely thin, transparent vellum in magnificently regular letters. The miniatures from the workshop of Jean Pucelle are all done in grisaille using a rich scale of grey shades. Three cycles of illustrations were provided for Jeanne’s personal devotions. The first two encompass eight scenes from the childhood of Christ and another eight from the Passion. The third depicts nine episodes from the life of King Louis, who was canonised in 1297 and passionately honoured at the French court.

The Hours of Jeanne d’�vreux is the high point of Parisian court painting and represents a tribute to the refined artistic tastes of the time.

The cycle of illustrations begins at Matins with the Annunciation, which is placed opposite the Betrayal of Christ on the Mount of Olives. The miniaturist, Pucelle, evidently modelled his representation of spatial depth on the Italian Trecento painter Duccio di Buoninsegna.