Man in his bedroom 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. Beneath rubrics in red, a prayer to Jesus Christ opens with the illuminated initial 'D' (Domine ihesu christe mane cum surrexero intende et guberna) painted with white, red, blue and gold ivy-leaf ornament. The miniature is painted in demi-grisaille with pigments and gold and depicts a man in his bed as he prepares to start his day. The prayer opens, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, when I rise early in the morning reach out to me and govern my actions and my words and my thoughts.’ He is attended by servants both within the room and outside the frame, with items for washing and dressing. The Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ watch from above. A choir of angels sing from a music sheet and play instruments, a pipe and psaltery. On the verso, only a single figure and bird (goldfinch) inhabit the margins.