Leaves from Jacques Le Lieur, Poème sur la Passion

Physical Description

Description and Contents

MS 1-2006.1: parchment, 150 x 100 mm, 18 long lines ruled in red ink with 15 lines of text written in iron-gall ink on reverse

 

MS 355-1984: parchment pasted on paper, 153 x 100 mm

 

MS 1-2012.1: parchment pasted on paper, 154 x 101 mm

 

MS 1-2012.2: parchment pasted on paper, 152 x 104 mm

 

MS 1-2006.2: parchment pasted on paper, 155 x 103 mm

The dead body of Christ, eyes closed, and head slumped to one side, occupies the centre of the miniature. It lies on a shroud, supported by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus who lower the corpse into an open coffin. St Mary Magdalen is shown in the foreground, and behind the tomb stands the Virgin Mary, with joined hands raised, flanked by other women and St John. The gaping mouth of a cave, Christ’s burial place, is shown on the left. The miniature is set within an architectural frame with trees and foliage forming an arch over the scene.