Court of the Ladies of Queen Anne of Brittany, France (engraving)

Court of the Ladies of Queen Anne of Brittany, wife of both Charles VIII and Louis XII, reproduced from a 16th century manuscript. In this image, Anne is weeping as Charles VIII is away at war in Italy. She is attended to by the ladies of her court. Anne is said to have instituted the Queen's Maids of Honour at court. Traditionally, a queen would have 8 Maids of Honour, who would be young and unmarried. Queen Anne, Duchess of Brittany, 25 January 1477 – 9 January 1514. 'Manners, Customs, & Dress during the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance Period' by Paul Lacroix, p.80. Reproduced from the manuscript of the 'Epistres Envoyees au Roi', held in the Library of St Petersburg at the time of the book's publication. Published 1874 by Chapman and Hall, London.