MS 300 f.199r, suffrage to angels, folio from the Psalter-Hours of Isabelle of France, c.1265-70...

This exquisite prayer book was made for a royal woman, most probably Isabelle of France (1225-1270), sister of King Louis IX (1226-1270). Its elegant script, extensive illustrative programme, rich palette and innovative painting technique are a lasting tribute to the scribes, artists and patrons who established 13th-century Paris as a capital of the arts. The manuscript is an important witness to the dynastic concerns and exemplary piety of Louis IX, also known as St Louis, and his family. Devout kingship and rightful succession are among the main themes of the illustrative programme. The volume is one of the first examples of a new type of devotional book – the Psalter-Hours. It is also among the earliest manuscripts to employ the expanding palette and painterly modelling of draperies first observed in Parisian manuscripts in the 1260s. Despite being damaged in a flood in the mid-19th century, this manuscript played an important role in the renewed appreciation for medieval art during the Gothic Revival. One of its most passionate advocates, John Ruskin, acquired the volume in 1854 and considered it ‘the greatest treasure’ in his life. He used it for teaching and gave away some of its leaves in order to educate and inspire others about Gothic art.