Annunciation to the Shepherds 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. Following the calendar, Gospel lessons and Passion story are the mixed Hours of the Virgin (8), Holy Cross (7) and Holy Spirit (7). Prime of the Holy Spirit concludes on the recto. Terce of the Virgin begins on the verso, beneath rubrics in red, with the illuminated initial 'D' (Deus in adiutorium meum intende) painted with white, red, blue and gold ivy-leaf ornament. The miniature is painted in demi-grisaille with pigments and gold and depicts the Annunciation to the Shepherds. A group of angels appear to shepherds with a scroll announcing the birth of Jesus (peur natus est). The misspelling of 'puer' is found in a number of manuscripts produced in the Bedford Style, pointing toward a shared pattern book. The shepherdess holds a spindle and distaff, the basic tools for spinning wool, another shepherd holds a set of bagpipes. Their flock of sheep (rams and ewes) are scattered across the landscape, grazing and drinking from the river while a dog naps in the foreground. Two additional groups of angels in the upper margin hold scrolls reading 'Gloria in' and 'Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus'. In the lower margin, one figure swings between two trees, another plays a pipe, and two rams fight on the left. The fighting rams and angels are not included on the recto, slight alterations were also made to the groups of figures in the lower margin.