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This manuscript was commissioned by Jean II La Meingre, Marshal Boucicaut (died 1421) and his wife Antoinette de Turenne. His biographers describe the marshal as a man of almost superhuman piety. This description fits in with his magnificent book of hours, which begins with 27 large miniatures of saints, who all have clear links with Boucicaut's life. The 46 miniatures in the manuscript show characteristics of the style of the Bedford Master who often worked with the artist responsible for the Boucicaut Hours. The wide borders around each miniature, with their delicate and elegant vegetal decoration, are also found in a Parisian missal manuscript dated 1412, suggesting a slightly later date of 1410-12 for the manuscript.
The miniature on folio 90v depicts the Flight into Egypt for the office of Our Lady. It provides a characteristic example of the outstanding artistry of the Boucicaut Master. The mountainous landscape and the luminosity of the colours, culminating in the brilliant sun on a background of deepest blue, are particularly fascinating.
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