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This article undertakes a fresh appraisal of the marginal images found on one of the most unusual pages in the Très Riches Heures of the Duke of Berry, with particular attention being paid to the bas-de-page tableau of a man dressed as a scholar attempting to catch birds. The scene is in many ways inherently incongruous, but I contend that it can also be directly linked to the subject matter of the principal miniature on the page - that of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. Citing evidence from a variety of sources, both visual and textual, I argue that the iconography of the fowler suggests strongly that the Devil is intended: the arch-enemy, not only of mankind in general, but also of the newly incarnate Christ.
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