Drolleries

One of the most remarkable aspects of Mary’s prayer book are the little figurines in the margins. They are called drolleries, from the French drôle meaning funny. The book contains a total of 121 such drolleries: 105 in the Berlin part and 16 in the Vienna part. They have just one thing in common: all are placed on the right page of the book. Everything else about them is completely different. Some depict highly realistic birds or angels playing music, others show acanthus leaves and people riding pigs or fantasy hybrid animals. It is unknown whether they serve a purpose or have a special meaning, but they are certainly fascinating to look at. For an entire year we will post some of the drolleries here and update them on a regular basis. Learn more about them here!