Assistants of the Master of Girard Acarie
Artists
The miniatures reveal differences in execution, suggesting a collaboration between the Master of Girard Acarie and other illuminators. It seems likely that the Master designed all of the miniatures, but completed only some of them, leaving the other four to his assistants. This conjecture is supported by technical analyses.
Lamentation
At the base of the cross, the Virgin Mary, accompanied by St John, kneels beside her son’s lifeless body. Relatives and friends, including Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus who have lowered Christ down from the cross, join her in mourning. A jar of precious ointment for anointing the corpse, is depicted in the foreground at the feet of St Mary Magdalen. The group is shown in front of the Tau-cross on which Christ was crucified. The miniature is set within an architectural frame with trees and foliage forming an arch over the scene.