Ms. written and foliate borders created in France, probably in Rouen, ca. 1460; six large miniatures, probably created in Bruges, Belgium, were added ca. 1470-1480; the nine small miniatures illustrating scenes from the life of Christ, as well as the monograms, mottoes, and widow's knots, were added, possibly in Rouen, c. 1519, when the manuscript belonged to Antoinette de Sainte-Maure.
The manuscript was written and illuminated in the second half of the fifteenth century for an owner whose arms have since been over-painted by those of François de Baraton, and for whom the blue borders were sprinkled with gold S's, leading to the inference that it is a play on the name Estouteville. The arms marshalled at the end of M.214 (fol. 120v), belong to a member of the Estouteville-Sainte-Maure family. In 1495 Antoinette de Sainte-Maure, whose mother was Catherine d'Estouteville, married François de Baraton. Baratons's mother, Anne de Feshcal, was related to the Estoutevilles, who were related to the Chambes de Montsoreau and Craon families. After his marriage, Baraton seems to have gone back to their common ancestors and had the arms of Craon (chequy or and gules, here used as an estucheon) and Chambes de Montsoreau (azure semy of fleurs de lys azure, a lion or, langued, crowned, and armed gules), with a change of tincture from argent to or, quartered with his own (or à la fasce fuselée gules, 7 croix ancrées sable, 4 en chef and 3 en pointe). After Baraton's death in 1519, his widow had the small miniatures from the life of Christ painted, as well as the many mottoes and A and S monograms in the margins. On vol. I (M.214), fol. 83v, the name Maure appears in a sixteenth-century hand.
Decoration: 6 large miniatures (M.214: fols. 3r, 84r, 134r; M.224: fols. 1r, 53r, 117v), 9 small miniatures, 1 large coat of arms, 1 small coat of arms, blue borders sprinkled with the letter S and marginal decoration formed of the initials A and S surrounded by a widow's knotted cord.
Artist: large miniatures painted by Lievin van Lathem in Bruges, Belgium, ca. 1470-1480; large miniatures have been sometimes attributed to Philippe de Mazerolles, and to the Master of the Soane Josephus.