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 ooks
of Hours feature a cycle of prayers dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. These prayers are commonly illustrated with events from
the life of Mary and her son Jesus, which offer subjects for
meditation. On this page, the scene takes place in a house
with a small porch. Notice how the two figures are portrayed
inside a three-dimensional space. The winged figure on the
left raises his right hand as if speaking to the graceful
woman on the right.
This composition is known as the Annunciation: the archangel
Gabriel announces to Mary that she is to be the mother of
Jesus Christ, the Savior. Angels in the arched windows witness
the event. Jeanne d'Evreux herself appears on this leaf, kneeling
within the letter D as she reads a book. Click on the capital
letter D in the image at left to learn more about Jeanne d'Evreux. |
At
the bottom of the page, four delicately drawn young men and women are playing
a game. The man with closed eyes sits on a plump cushion. The others run about
and teasingly touch him. The medieval game of "frog in the middle" was
similar to "blindman's bluff." The "blind" man has to catch
one of his friends, the next "frog in the middle."
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