Maastricht Book of Hours, BL Stowe MS17 f051r (detail)

Detail of the Maastricht Book of Hours (BL Stowe MS17), an illuminated manuscript mainly known for its lively depictions of animals and half-animals. The book of hours was probably made for an aristocratic lady in the Liège-Maastricht area in the first quarter of the 14th century. In the 18th century it was owned by the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, who in 1849 sold it to Lord Ashburham. In 1883 it was purchased by the British Library as part of the Stowe collection.
Folios f18r up to f131r constitute the Little Office of Our Lady, also known as Hours of the Virgin. Apart from the full-page miniatures at the beginning of each section, the illustrations in the margins bear little relation to the subject. This drollery on f51r depicts a woman consulting a monkey doctor.