Depictions of Books and Parchment Sheets in the Queen’s MS (London, British Library, Harley MS 4431)
Lori J. Walters, November 6, 2012
N.B. Letters (=epistles) are depicted as sheets or rolls of parchment
Totals: Eighteen miniatures depict books; six miniatures depict parchment sheets; one miniature (Io teaching) depicts both books and parchment sheets. 
I.  Overview

In placing miniatures that include depictions of parchment sheets and/or books at prominent spots in the iconographic cycle of the Queen’s MS, Christine reinforces her oral and written authority; otherwise said, the authority she has to give advice to royalty, both during her own lifetime and in future times.  By and large, her oral authority is symbolized by parchment sheets, which are often shown being read out to a recipient.  A good example is the miniature of the Oroison Nostre Dame (# 11, below).  It shows a kneeling Christine reading out her petition or prayer to a seated Virgin and Child.  Books, on the other hand, stand for Christine’s written authority.  She places the most important of these depictions in the manuscript’s “double frontispiece” (Laidlaw’s term; #1 and 2, below) and in two of the three miniatures of the Cité des dames found near the collection’s end (#12 a & b, below).  It is of note that, as head of her own scriptorium, Christine has both books and parchment sheets depicted in the miniature illustrating Io’s workshop.  This is the only miniature in the entire collection in which both forms of textual production are portrayed. 

II.  The Miniatures

1. Prologue adreçant a la Reine 
fol. 3a-b 
A kneeling Christine de Pizan presents a weighty book, closed and bound in red leather and gold, to Ysabel de Bavière in the Queen’s chambers, in the presence of six other ladies of her court. 

2. Cent balades
fol. 4a 
Seated in her study, Christine with her left hand corrects her text in a bound book, a little white dog at her feet.  This is not a realistic depiction, since folios were transcribed and edited before a book was bound.

3. Complainte amoureuse
fol. 48a 
A knight on bended knee offers his complaint, depicted as a rolled sheet of parchment, to a lady, whose robes and headdress recall those worn by Ysabel in the frontispiece.  Standing behind her are two ladies, one of whom may be Christine.

4. Epistre au dieu d’amours 
fol. 51b 
A messenger on bended knee delivers a letter to a winged Cupid, the God of Love, who stands before a fountain holding a bow and arrows. 
 
5. Une autre complainte amoureuse 
fol. 56d 
A seated man unrolls a sheet of parchment before a lady, who is seated on a bed facing him.  The lady, who is dressed in Christine’s characteristic blue robes and white double-corned wimple, reaches out to take it.   

6.  Epistre Othea
a.  fol. 95a
Wearing a black dress and a white double-corned headdress, Christine, kneeling, presents a book bound in green leather to Louis d’Orléans, in the presence of other dukes. 

b.  fol. 95c 
In a blue cloud indicative of her deity, the goddess Othea presents a sheet of parchment to Hector, who stands below her. 

c.  fol. 100c 
Saturn appears in a blue cloud holding a scythe; below, a man holds a book open on his lap, which animates a conversation of eight men in all.

d.  fol. 101a 
The god Apollo appears in a cloud holding his harp, with a white raven to his side; below, two noblemen hold books open on their laps as another man in their midst dressed in blue gives instruction to others. 

e.  fol. 103a 
Pallas Athena, holding a light reddish-colored book, faces Minerva, who brandishes a sword.  Both goddesses stand in blue clouds; below, a large group of men (eleven in all?) salute them.

f.  fol. 107b 
The goddess of chastity Diana, appearing out of a blue cloud and wearing a nun’s wimple, reads from an open book.  Below, three of her followers hold books open on their laps, while another clasps a red leather bound book to her chest.  Three other maidens and nuns peer over the shoulders of the three women to read from open books.

g.  fol. 109b 
A man presents an unfurled parchment sheet to Yo.  Dressed as a nun and seated on a chair with her hands on two closed books, she gives instruction to three other men.  One of them is seated and follows along in an open book what she reads out.  Another man has a tablet (?), while another holds a folded parchment sheet.

h. fol. 110c
Cassandra, dressed as a nun, kneels in prayer before a book lying open on a prie-Dieu placed before an altar.

i. fol. 127c 
Ulysses discovers Achilles, who, disguised as a nun, looks at an inscribed parchment sheet lying on the ground in from of him.

Total, Epistre Othea:  Seven miniatures depict books; two depict letters. 

7.  Livre du duc des vrays amans
fol. 143b
The Duke appears in Christine’s study to request she write his story.  She is dressed in her customary blue gown and double-corned white wimple.  Two books appear on the upper shelf of her study.

8.  Livre du chemin de lonc estude 
a.  fol. 178a
A kneeling Christine, dressed in grey robes and a double-corned white wimple, presents a red leather bound book to a seated, crowned King Charles VI, who is surrounded by four dukes.
 
b.  fol. 192d 
Sagesse (Wisdom) holds a red-leather bound book on her lap, in the presence of three other crowned ladies, Noblesse (Nobility), Chevalerie (Chivalry) and Richesse (Wealth).  These four figures are enthroned around the empty throne of Raison (Reason), which the Sibyl indicates to Christine. 

c.  fol. 196c 
With her index finger, the Sibyl points out Queen Raison, who is larger than the other allegorical figures.  Raison sits enthroned before her court, holding a sword and an olive branch.  Sagesse, seated to her right, holds a red-leather bound book on her lap. 

d.  fol. 218d 
The Sibyl presents Christine to Queen Raison.  She kneels before the enthroned goddess with her hands clasped in a prayerful pose, while Sagesse holds a red-leather bound book. 

Total:  Livre du chemin de lonc estude:  Four miniatures depict books, three of which are held by the crowned figure of Dame Sagesse (Lady Wisdom).

9.  Proverbes moraulx
fol. 259c  
Christine, seated in a teaching chair before an open book, instructs four men standing in front of her.
 
10.  Enseignemens a son filz 
fol. 261c 
Christine, seated on a chair before a red leather bound book lying open before her, gives instruction to her son, Jean de Castel.  Jean listens attentively, his arms crossed on his chest, a position indicating his acquiescence.  A small green leather bound book lies closed upon Christine’s desk; a red leather bound book is filed on the lower rung of the desk. 

11.  Oroison Nostre Dame
fol. 265b  
A kneeling Christine, uncharacteristically dressed in pink, reads a petition from a parchment sheet to the crowned and haloed Virgin and Child seated before her. 

12.  Livre de la cité des dames
a. fol. 290a-b 
In the left side of a two-register compartment Christine, standing before an open book, with four other books fully or partially visible on her desk, sees in her vision the Three Virtues, crowned and bearing the symbols of their function.  In the right-hand register Christine and Dame Raison lay the foundations of the city. 

b. fol. 361a
A crowned Dame Justice, together with court ladies, welcome the Virgin and her retinue of female saints into the highest reaches of the City of Ladies.  The Virgin and Saint Catherine of Alexandria each carry a book, neither of which is mentioned in the text.