The Prayer Book of Bonne of Luxembourg, Duchess of Normandy

Jean Le Noir

before 1349 · Tempera, grisaille, ink, and gold on vellum · The Cloisters

The coat of arms that often appears in this book indicates that it was made for Bonne of Luxembourg, a Bohemian princess who married John, duke of Normandy in 1332. She died of plague in 1349; her husband later became John the Good, king of France. The use of grisaille (shades of grey) for the figures, the richly colored, decorative backgrounds, and the marginal images reflect the influence of Jean Pucelle, the artist of the Hours of Jeanne d’Evreux in The Cloisters collection. This manuscript is likely by Jean Le Noir—an illuminator in the service of John the Good—who collaborated with his daughter, the enlumineresse (female illuminator) Bourgot. This manuscript apparently passed into the collection of Bonne’s oldest son, Charles V of France, who established a royal library. Her third son, Jean, duc de Berry, was the patron of The Cloisters’ Belles Heures.

Artist

Jean Le Noir

Date

before 1349

Medium

Tempera, grisaille, ink, and gold on vellum

Culture

French

Department

The Cloisters

Credit line

The Cloisters Collection, 1969