Crucifixion from the Coëtivy Hours

Dunois Master, attributed to

Folio with three-quarter page miniature from a book of hours attributed to the Dunois Master, written in Latin and French in a bastarda script, made in Paris and dated 1443–1445. It was commissioned by Prigent de Coëtivy (1399?–1450) on the occasion of his marriage to Marie de Rais (1429–1457). Removed from the bound volume between 1933 and 1960. A prayer to Christ as Judge concludes on the recto, illuminated by soldiers in the lower margin. On the verso, beneath rubrics in red, the Seven Last Words of Jesus opens with the illuminated initial 'D' (Domine ihesu christe qui septem verba in die ultimo vite tue) painted with white, red, blue and gold ivy-leaf ornament. The miniature is painted in demi-grisaille with pigments and gold and depicts the Crucifixion of Jesus. On the left are the Virgin Mary, John the Evangelist and other female disciples. A Roman soldier on the right recognises the divine nature of Christ and says to the Pharisee, ‘vere filius dei erat i[ste]’ (surely, he was the son of God). They are accompanied by soldiers, including the sponge bearer and Longinus (the lance bearer). The bones below are a reference to the name of the site in Hebrew, Golgotha (‘skull’). The seven last sayings are written on scrolls (like speech bubbles) around Jesus. They read from lower right clockwise around: ‘mulier ecce filius tuus’ (woman, behold thy son), John 19.26-27; ‘hodie mecum eris in paradiso’ (today you shall be with me in paradise), Luke 23.43; ‘In manus tuas commendo’ (into thy hands I commit my spirit), Luke 23.46; ‘consummatum est’ (it is finished), John 19.30; ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabacthani’ (my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?), Matthew 27.46/Mark 15.34; ‘sitio’ (I thirst), John 19.28; and ‘pater ignosce eis quia nesciunt’ (Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do), Luke 23.34. The margins are inhabited by angels and soldiers.