Anne of Brittany's patronage

Through Anne of Brittany's speeches, ambassadors quickly noticed her intelligence. However, she was no "bluestocking": there is no evidence that she spoke or read a second language, and her collection of books by ancient authors rarely displayed translations. Nonetheless, she had become used to writing. Indeed, she wrote letters to her preferred correspondents herself. The thirty books with a personified symbol, such as her coat of arms, reveal her preferences, predominantly made up of illuminated manuscripts. A third of her manuscripts were decorated prayer books, known as "books of hours". As early as 1493, Anne of Brittany commissioned a prayer book illustrated by Jean Poyer designed for the education of her eldest son. In the magnificent "Grandes Heures", illustrated by Jean Bourdichon, she is depicted, in prayer, surrounded by Saint Anne, Saint Ursule (known to be one of the first queens of Brittany) and Saint Hélène (who discovered the True Cross). Anne also commissioned La Vie des femmes célèbres (The Lives of Famous Women) written by her confessor as a plea in favour of women as well as a similar book printed by the Parisian Antoine Vérard, the “Trésor de la cité des dames” by Christine de Pizan. The Queen-Duchess was particularly interested in the history of Brittany, not without political motivations. She had a copy of the Chronique written by Le Baud and commissioned him and later Jean Lemaire de Belges to undergo research in the Duchy's archives. Regarding music, the queen had, during her second reign, a separate church choir from the king, whose choirmaster in 1510 was the famous Jean Mouton. Her patronage for the latter and other composers such as Antonius Divitis suggests that she prized their innovative style. She particularly enjoyed the organ and funded the complete repair of the one in Angers.