Margaret of Provence and her daughter Isabelle
Owners
A direct association with Louis IX’s wife Margaret of Provence or their daughter, Isabelle who married Thibault V, Count of Champagne and King of Navarre, in 1255, is unlikely, given the slim heraldic evidence. The three line fillers with the arms of Provence feature on two pages only (fols. 169v, 174r), which are part of the same bifolio. The arms of Provence are probably a reference to Margaret in a book made for a family member.
Game of bowls
This is a very early example of a secular bas-de-page scene. Such images would become common only in early 14th-century manuscripts. The painting stages were never completed, with only the base layers applied for green and pink areas. But the ink sketch reveals the artist’s (Hand C) confident and fluid drawing style.