Prayers in French and Latin
Texts and Images
The prayers to be said at Mass or addressed to Christ, the Virgin and saints are illustrated with images of the relevant object of veneration. Prayers written during the original campaign received small miniatures, while those added in the 15th century were illustrated with images of varying sizes and formats.
Philip the Bold attending Mass (Prayers at Mass)
The Master of the Coronation Book of Charles V, who was responsible for this miniature, painted numerous images of King Charles V of France and members of his family. Here, Charles’ brother, Philip the Bold, is shown kneeling in prayer, with an open book – perhaps this very manuscript –beside him. Another open book – a Missal – rests beside the chalice on the altar before which Philip, the priest and acolyte kneel. The rubric above the image stipulates that the prayer written on this page is to be said between the beginning of the Mass and the first prayer of the Mass.
The facial types and the bold juxtaposition of contrasting opaque colours are typical of this artist.