Martyrdom of St Luke 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 St Luke opens with the illuminated initial ‘B’ (Beatus lucas non in merito inter angelorum) painted with white, red, blue and gold ivy-leaf ornament (much of the gold is lost). It is one of an unusually large series of forty-seven suffrages, or short prayers to saints, arranged hierarchically. The section opens with a number of prefatory prayers, followed by the Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors and Virgins. The miniature is painted in demi-grisaille with pigments and gold and depicts the Martyrdom of St Luke. While it is unclear if he actually died a martyr’s death, he is afforded one here, both impaled by a spear and stabbed with a sword. His soul is already on its ascent to heaven with the assistance of two angels. Luke is more often pictured writing his gospel or paintings a portrait of the Virgin Mary, and his role as the first iconographer is highlighted in the lower margin. Luke holds a brush and palette and paints on an easel. The rose was an important symbol of Mary and may have been included on the right to emphasis her relationship with the saint. On account of Luke’s role as a painter, the Guild of St Luke was a popular title for painters’ guilds, particularly in Northern Europe.