Le Livre des Trois Âges

Le Livre des Trois Âges or The Book of the Three Ages was written between 1482 and 83 by the physician and astrologer Pierre Choinet of Rouen for the French king Louis XI (1423-1483) and sheds an elucidating light on the turbulent last years of the ruler's reign as well as courtly culture at the turning point of the Middle Ages to the early modern era. The 621 French-language verses deal with topics such as education, faith, hunting, good governance and the art of warfare. They explore three central stages in the life of a medieval man, which was a popular literary topic of the time: youth, adulthood and old age. The virtues and failings of mankind are discussed in a moralizing, didactic manner. This moral and political text is accompanied by 12 wonderful miniatures by the famous Échevinage master from Rouen, whose elaborate compositions make the manuscript a true gem of French book illumination.