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 second
cycle of prayers is dedicated to Louis IX, Jeanne d'Evreux's great-grandfather,
who ruled France from 1226 to 1270 and was canonized by the pope in 1297. He was
the most admired king of the Middle Ages. Despite his royal status, he humbly
served the sick and the poor. He underwent the hardships and dangers of the Crusades.
He engaged many artists to work on church and court projects in an elegant style
that influenced art for generations. Several accounts of his life were written
almost immediately after his death. Details from these biographies appear in the
illustrations.
In this miniature, Louis, who can be identified by his
crown, is shown inside a fortress. On his way to Jerusalem, he was captured by
Muslim forces at Damietta, on the Nile, and held prisoner at El Mansûra.
Louis stretches his arm toward a book held in the beak of a dove, while a companion
looks on. You can tell that the latter is a monk by his hairstyle, called a tonsure.
The monk is a witness to the miraculous return of the king's prayer book, which
had been lost in battle. The splendid yellow of the castle immediately draws our
attention to the scene. Click the image of the castle to discover how this
vibrant yellow color was made.
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