Livre de la chasse
Bequest of Clara S. Peck, 1983
The Gathering in Winter and Summer
The preparation for the gathering, or breakfast before the hunt, began the previous night, when the nobleman met with his hunters, grooms, and pages, assigning them areas to be quested for game at daybreak. After the quests, the participants would gather in a nearby shaded glade with a clear well or running brook. A hearty meal would then be enjoyed by all. In the miniature, the elegantly dressed nobleman, flanked by two huntsmen, is seated at a long table and served drink and food as a musician plays a pipe. Most important, however, is the lymerer approaching the table at the left, who has laid the droppings he has gathered in his horn on the table. One of the huntsmen points to them, determining which stag to pursue. The hounds are near a well, some drinking water, and the horses are ready, waiting for the hunt to begin.
Moving and Hunting the Hart
The lymerer, with his tracking dog, has already located and unharbored the hart. Here two hunters on horseback blow their horns and give chase. A hunter on foot, having already unleashed two hounds, also sounds his horn. Behind him three others prepare to add seven more hounds to the chase. Both of the mounted huntsmen wear swords. At the sound of the mort, one of them will use his sword to kill the exhausted stag.
Image courtesy of Faksimile Verlag Luzern