Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts

Cas des nobles hommes et femmes malheureux
France, probably Tours, ca. 1480
MS G.35 fol. 79v

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Eight scenes in continuous narrative (ordered according to the text):
1) De Casibus Virorum Illustrium: Scene, Fortune debating Poverty (at lower center) -- Fortune, as young woman wearing hennin with veil, stands with left hand on shoulder of Poverty, as pilgrim, wearing hat, mantle, ragged clothes, and scrip, holding staff in right hand. Both with names inscribed. Scene on road beside cross on stand.
2) De Casibus Virorum Illustrium: Scene, Fortune struggling with Poverty (lower left) -- Poverty, as pilgrim, wearing hat, mantle, ragged clothes, and scrip, kneels upon and grasps neck of Fortune, wearing hennin with veil, grasping Poverty's scrip with left hand, laying on ground. Both with names inscribed.
3) De Casibus Virorum Illustrium: Scene, Misfortune chained by Fortune (middle left) -- Misfortune, covered in sores, wearing short loin cloth, is chained to post by Fortune, wearing hennin with veil. Both with names inscribed.
4) De Casibus Virorum Illustrium: Scene, Tullus Hostilius (lower right) -- Tullus Hostilius, name inscribed, wearing hat, reclines on canopied bed with head resting on his left hand and with right hand on open book with pseudo-inscription. Two other books lie on bed. Three men stand to left. Scene in house.
5) De Casibus Virorum Illustrium: Scene, Death of Tarquinius Priscus (upper center) -- Tarquinius Priscus, with name inscribed, crowned, wearing ermine-trimmed robe, bleeding from head, sits on bench with right hand raised. Behind him kneels man, with axe raised in both hands. Before him stands a second man, holding spade. Scene in room of house.
6) De Casibus Virorum Illustrium: Scene, Lucretia committing Suicide (upper left center) -- Lucretia, with named inscribed, wearing hennin with veil, bleeding, stabs herself in breast with knife held in right hand. Two men witness scene. Scene in room of house, with canopied bed.
7) De Casibus Virorum Illustrium: Scene, Unidentified (upper right) -- Five horseman, wearing hats, gather in walled city.
8) De Casibus Virorum Illustrium: Scene, Unidentified (top left) -- Three horsemen ride alongside wagon, drawn by two horses, one ridden by man with whip. Inside the wagon are man and woman. Above flies bird, holding hat (?).
Margins with floreate and ivy-rinceaux ornament.