Le Livre des tournois

Le Livre des tournois (Traicte de la Forme de Devis d'un Tournoi) or King René's Tournament Book is a treatise describing rules for tournaments by the French prince René d'Anjou.

The description given in the book is different from that of the pas d'armes held at Razilly and Saumur; conspicuously absent are the allegorical and chivalresque ornamentations that were in vogue at the time.

In the original BnF manuscript van Eyck did the line drawings, possibly intended as preparatory only, which were later coloured either by him or by another artist.

2695 manuscript was regarded as directly inspired by a series of tournaments held at the Anjou court at Nancy, Saumur and Tarascon between 1445 and 1450, but it is now considered somewhat younger, dating to the 1460s, not least because the text makes several critical allusions the Traité des anciens et nouveaux tournois written by Antoine de La Sale in 1459.

It was most likely complete before 1471, as an inventory of Angers castle in 1471/2 mentions a cayez de papier en grant volume, ouquel est le commencement d'un tournoy, which has been identified with this manuscript.

The dukes of Brittany and of Bourbon in single combat (BNF Fr. 2695, double page illustration, foll. 27v/28r); original caption: Icy apres sensuit comant les deux ductz de Bretaigne et de Bourbon sont acheval armoyez et timbrez ainsi qui seront au Tournoy. ("Hereafter follows how the two Dukes of Brittany and of Bourbon on horseback armed and with crests as if they were at the tourney.") Bibliothèque Nationale de France .