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This tiny prayer book was copied by a gifted anonymous scribe, who fixed the text on extremely thin, transparent vellum in magnificently regular letters. The miniatures from the workshop of Jean Pucelle are all done in grisaille using a rich scale of grey shades. Three cycles of illustrations were provided for Jeanne's personal devotions. The first two encompass eight scenes from the childhood of Christ and another eight from the Passion. The third depicts nine episodes from the life of King Louis, who was canonised in 1297 and passionately honoured at the French court.
These paired paintings on folios 68v and 69r) introduce the prayers to be spoken at Sext and are among the most artistically important in the manuscript. They represent the Crucifixion (left) and the Adoration of the Magi (right). The Crucifixion is one of the few miniatures in this manuscript that are not surrounded by a border, and it is the only one that takes up the entire page. This expansiveness strongly emphasizes the narrative elements in the composition.
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