Claude of France
Owners
Claude of France (1499-1524) was the eldest daughter of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany.
When she was six-years-old, she was betrothed to King Francis I. She married him in 1514 and was crowned queen of France in 1517. Claude died at age twenty-four after giving birth to seven children. A full-page miniature showing Claude praying to St Anne occurs at the end of the volume (fol. 9r/p. 14).
Claude of France praying to St Anne
Claude of France, kneeling at a prayer desk, is presented by St Claude to the enthroned St Anne who holds an open book on her lap and is teaching the Virgin Mary to read. The prayer desk on which an open book lies, is covered in a blue cloth embroidered with fleurs-de-lis and gold initials C. The arms of Claude’s mother, Anne of Brittany (France impaling Brittany), are held aloft by the angel on a pillar in the right border and are also shown in the lower border encircled by the motto, PENSON EN DIEU, with sprays of blue flowers on either side.