The manuscript commonly known as the ‘Lamoignon Hours’, from the name of the collector to whom it belonged in the eighteenth century, has also sometimes been described as the Book of Hours of Isabel of Brittany, since it contains the duchess’s arms. Isabel was the daughter of John V, Duke of Brittany, and of Joan of France, who was in turn the daughter of the French King Charles VI and Isabeau of Bavaria.

Even if it is uncertain that Isabel of Brittany (1411–1442) was the first owner of this book, it was undoubtedly created for an important noblewoman who is represented in three of the manuscript’s miniatures. The style of the illumination suggests that it was produced in 1415–16 and can be attributed to the Bedford Master (and his workshop), one of the most important Parisian manuscript illuminators working in the early decades of the fifteenth century.

One of the distinctive features of this artist’s work is evident in the composition of the central miniatures, which are surrounded by small narrative medallions mostly making reference to the theme of the principal miniature. The lavish decoration extends to the calendar, the text margins and the initials.