Famous Women Reading Antoine Dufour and Symphorien Champier in the Light of the “Recueil Robertet” (Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 24461)

The present article proposes a comparative reading of Nef des dames vertueuses by Symphorien Champier, Vies des femmes célèbres by Antoine Dufour and the Recueil de dessins ou cartons, avec devises (Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 24461) – a witness of its time that has often been overviewed and was made for the mighty family Robertet. The lives of the heroines in Dufour’s work stand out through the political issues depicted; thus, the collection urges courtly ladies to become the famous women of their time.