a fox mounted on a dog is the herald for the monkeys

[s***@gmail.com]

...tournament between monkeys and wild men. One leader mounted on unicorn (with gold 'E' on blue trappings) gallops towards the other, on horse, with jousting poles. In centre, monkey and wild man wrestle. Two more wild men at the edges, with jousting poles. A fox mounted on a dog is the herald for the monkeys, he blows into a long trump with banner and coat of arms...

http://bodley30.bodley.ox.ac.uk:8180/luna/servlet/detail/ODLodl~1~1~40937~126140:Book-of-Hours--Dominican-Use--So-ca?trs=13&qvq=q%3Aherald%3Bsort%3AShelfmark%2Csort_order%3Blc%3AODLodl~29~29%2CODLodl~7~7%2CODLodl~6~6%2CODLodl~14~14%2CODLodl~8~8%2CODLodl~23~23%2CODLodl~1~1%2CODLodl~24~24&mi=5&sort=Shelfmark%2Csort_order

[Derek Howard]

Post by s***@gmail.com
...tournament between monkeys and wild men. One leader mounted on unicorn (with gold 'E' on blue trappings) gallops towards the other, on horse, with jousting poles. In centre, monkey and wild man wrestle. Two more wild men at the edges, with jousting poles. A fox mounted on a dog is the herald for the monkeys, he blows into a long trump with banner and coat of arms...
http://bodley30.bodley.ox.ac.uk:8180/luna/servlet/detail/ODLodl~1~1~40937~126140:Book-of-Hours--Dominican-Use--So-ca?trs=13&qvq=q%3Aherald%3Bsort%3AShelfmark%2Csort_order%3Blc%3AODLodl~29~29%2CODLodl~7~7%2CODLodl~6~6%2CODLodl~14~14%2CODLodl~8~8%2CODLodl~23~23%2CODLodl~1~1%2CODLodl~24~24&mi=5&sort=Shelfmark%2Csort_order

This Flemish Book of Hours, the so-called 'Hours of Engelbert of Nassau', Bodleian MS. Douce 219, fol. 132v-133r is said to date from “c. 1470-1490”. However, the coat of arms surmounted by a ducal bonnet on the right hand page is that of the Duke of Burgundy specifically of Philippe IV “le Bel”, who became Duke 1482 and died 1506. The fox on the left hand page is carrying the Duke’s banner on his trump. The herald of the wild men, sitting on a stag, appears to have a banner azure displaying an embattled tower argent. This might possibly represent the Flemish towns and the struggle between the forces of the Duke’s father as Regent and the towns prior to the Hapsburg-French Treaty of Senlis in 1493. I imagine the knight with the trappings azure semy of Es represents Englebert of Nassau (lord of Breda d 1504) after whom the manuscript is known, who served Maximilian, fighting at the battle of Guinegate during the suppression of the rebellion of Bruges in 1479. However, the battle may more plausibly represent the battle of Nancy in 1477 at which Englebert fought alongside the Duke Charles the Bold when the latter was killed, (merely because of the winter state of the background trees - Nancy was fought in January and Guinegate in August).

Derek Howard