Cotton MS Titus A XVII

This manuscript contains Le Sacre, Couronnement, et Entrée de Claude de France, an anonymous French account of the consecration, coronation and royal entrance into Paris of Claude de France (b. 1499, d. 1524), Queen of France, and wife of Francis I (r. 1515-1547), which took place on 10-12 May 1517. The illustrated account describes the ceremonies as well as the pageants and tableaux vivants that were staged around the city by Pierre Gringoire (b. 1475, d. 1538) as part of the celebrations. Gringoire was a popular French poet and playwright, who had previously organised the pageants and public celebrations for the reception of Mary Tudor (b. 1496, d. 1533), Queen of France, in Paris, 6 November 1514.

At least five other illuminated manuscripts of the text survive: London, British Library, Stowe MS 582; Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MSS fr. 5750 and 14116; Paris, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, MS 491; and Cambridge, Magdalene College, Pepys Library, MS 1791. The text of the manuscript was also the basis of a printed edition, published in the same year. In addition, Gringoire wrote his own account of the day's proceedings which he subsequently presented to the French Queen, and which now survives as Nantes, Bibliothèque municipale, MS 1337.

Contents:

f. 1r: An added inscription in Latin by Sir William Dugdale (b. 1605, d. 1686), English antiquary and herald, detailing the contents of the manuscript: 'Elenchus / Coronatio domine, Claude, Ducisse, Britannie, / filie, Ludovici xii^mi Regis Gallie'.

ff. 1v-50v: Le Sacre, Couronnement, et Entrée de Claude de France, an illustrated account written in French, beginning, 'Le sacre, couronnement, triumphe et entree de la trés cretienne royne et duchesse, ma souveraine dame et maistresse, madame Claude de France'.

f. 51r: An added inscription, relating to the use of the manuscript by 'Mr Breguigny', the French historian and antiquary Louis-George Oudart-Feudrix de Brequigny (b. 1716, d. 1795), dated 12 November 1764.

ff. 37r, 46v, and 51v are blank.

Decoration:

The manuscript's decoration was probably undertaken by the artist Jean Coene IV (fl 1500-1520), also known as the Master of the Paris Entries after this and other illuminated copies of the text he produced (on this identification, see König, Boccaccio und Petrarca in Paris, (1997), I, p. 320).

9 large miniatures in colours and gold (ff. 1v, 17r, 33r, 34v, 35v, 37v, 39r, 40r, 43v).

Large decorated initials with floral or foliate motifs, in blue on gold grounds. Smaller decorated initials with floral or foliate motifs in blue on red or gold grounds.

The subjects of the miniatures are as follows:

f. 1v: A presentation scene, showing the author kneeling and presenting the book to a king, most likely Francis I, King of France, sitting enthroned.

f. 17r: The consecration and coronation of Claude de France as Queen of France at Saint-Denis, 10 May 1517.

f. 33r: The tableau vivant staged at La Porte Saint-Denis, showing Claude de France in the centre, crowned by a dove, surrounded by six Old Testament heroines (Rebecca, Esther, Deborah, Sarah, Leah and Rachel) and below, female personifications of the four Cardinal virtues (Prudence, Temperance, Justice and Magnanimity).

f. 34v: The tableau vivant staged at La Fontaine du Ponceau, showing Claude de France accompanied by the two 'filles de France' and a scroll, bearing the Latin phrase, 'Rex plantavit, ego rigam, deus autem incrementum dedit', inspired by the Biblical verse of 1 Corinthians 3: 6. Below, a golden fountain, with the salamander of Francis I and the ermine of Claude de France, set within a garden of French lilies.

f. 35v: The tableau vivant staged at La Trinité, arranged in two registers: on the upper register, Francis I and Claude de France in the centre, accompanied by personifications of Prudence and 'Congnoissance' on the left, and Bon Conseil and Bon Vouloir on the right; on the lower register, a labourer between personifications of Prouesse and Concorde, brandishing clubs, with the accompanying caption 'Le peuple francoys'.

f. 37v: The tableau vivant staged at La Porte aux Peintres, arranged in two registers: on the upper register, a personification of Charity enclosed within a golden sun-shaped circle, while a personification of Faith holding a banner emerges from a lily. On either side appear four different nymphs: a hamadryad holding a green branch; an oread holding grapes; a naiad watering the earth; and a napae holding a flower. On the lower register, the infant Tantalus pours 'living water' from a golden phial into vessels held up by the Pope, the Emperor and the King, as well as a number of cardinals, bishops and princes.

f. 39r: The tableau vivant staged at La Fontaine des Innocents, arranged in two registers: on the upper register, three female personifications of Amour Naturelle, Amour Divine, and Amour Conjugalle, emerging from an open heart; on the lower register, three mythical and Biblical couples, David and Abigail, Julia and Portia, and Coriolanus and his mother Veturia.

f. 40r: The tableau vivant staged at La Place du Châtelet, showing the family tree and ancestors of Claude de France, above four female figures, representing personifications of Sévérité, Mansuetude, Loy and Coutume.

f. 43v: The tableau vivant staged at Le Palais-Royal, arranged in two registers: on the upper register, Louis IX (r. 1226-1270), crowned and enthroned, alongside his mother Blanche of Castile (b. 1188, d. 1252), and a personification of Justice; on the lower register, three petitioners, a poor beggar, a labourer, and a mercenary, and below, the arms of Francis I and Claude de France.