Book of Hours

c. 1380
Through heraldry, the designer of this Book of Hours commemorated the marriage of Raoul II de Raineval and Isabelle de Coucy.
The Walters Art Museum

Connection to Website Themes

Spousal Power Dyanmics: The creator of this Book of Hours placed the coats of arms for Raineval and Coucy at alternating points in the manuscript. At each of the canonical divisions appears either gules and azure barry of Coucy or the Raineval azure cross on a field of or. On Folio 4r (seen below), the manuscript illustrator combined the two in a horizontal quartering. This symbolically introduces an egalitarian ethos into the spousal power dynamics that may or may not have been realized in the actual marriage between Raoul II de Raineval and Isabelle de Coucy.

Community Social Norms: The egalitarian features of the Book of Hours clashes with the social norm of the bride becoming absorbed into the groom’s household. As an explanation of this, the presence of Isabelle de Coucy herself on Folio 3v suggests that the manuscript was commissioned primarily for her use.

Church and State: As a prayer book, this manuscript defers to the authority of the Church in how lay people structure their devotion. The status conferred by heraldic coats of arms derived from state power. Only the monarch could confer and provide legal authorization for a particular pattern as the heraldic blazon for a family.

What is Love: This object connects spiritual love to lay marriage by inscribing the union of two families into a book of religious devotion. In this representation of love, familial duty and religious devotion structure the expression of any love or affection that might exist between Raineval and Coucy. No indication exists as to whether or not this was a love match.