In the “original” Yolande appeared as a tiny figure kneeling before the Virgin Mary on a glorious, well-illustrated page. To pull off the wife swap, Yolande’s face was painted over with that of Isabella’s, the second wife. In addition to this alteration, “ ermine trimmed heraldic robes ,” and the figure of St. Catherine was added in the background.
Isabella’s ducal coronet, and figure of St Catherine from a page from the Book of Hours showing how the red in the new image was different from the reds used in the original images, thus revealing the wife swap. (Katie Young /
A page from the Book of Hours (Katie Young/Fitzwilliam Museum/PA)
Sign up for our daily newsletter featuring the top stories from The Press and Journal.
Thank you for signing up to The Press and Journal newsletter.
Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up
Scientists using infrared technology have discovered a wife swap in a medieval manuscript, with a French duke’s first wife painted over with his second when he remarried.
The 15th century manuscript is a book of hours, an illustrated prayer book commissioned by the wealthy, and is called The Hours Of Isabella Stuart.
Wife swap discovered in medieval manuscript
A page from the Book of Hours (Katie Young/Fitzwilliam Museum/PA)
Scientists using infrared technology have discovered a wife swap in a medieval manuscript, with a French duke’s first wife painted over with his second when he remarried.
The 15th century manuscript is a book of hours, an illustrated prayer book commissioned by the wealthy, and is called The Hours Of Isabella Stuart.
It is based on the monastic day for use in daily life.
A page from the 15th century illustrated prayer book (Katie Young/Fitzwilliam Museum/PA)
Staff at Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum “noticed there was something slightly odd” about the book so it was examined in a lab, said co-curator Dr Suzanne Reynolds.
Medieval wife swap discovered after infrared reveals nobleman painted over first spouse
Academics uncovered the medieval airbrushing in an illustrated prayer book belonging to a Scottish princess
17 May 2021 • 6:00am
Staff at Cambridge s Fitzwilliam Museum examined the manuscript in the lab after noticing a darker area on one of the pages
Credit: Katie Young/Fitzwilliam Museum/PA
A 15th-century wife swap has been discovered by historians after infrared scans revealed a nobleman “painted over” the image of his first spouse with his second.
Academics uncovered the medieval airbrushing in an illustrated prayer book called the Hours of Isabella Stuart, which belonged to a Scottish princess.
Wife swap discovered in medieval manuscript eveningexpress.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eveningexpress.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.